We’re celebrating Santa Lucia day tomorrow, though it’s not a holiday the schools and offices have their own way of showing high regard on this day. Special hot drinks called glögg, ginger cookies, a bun called lussekatt are traditionally prepared on the table. In the city, the search is on for this year’s Lucia. Some schools take their students to the church to express a solemn observation.
There’s no Santa Lucia church here but in Syracuse (Italy), where Lucia is the patron saint of the city, the Santa Lucia Church is a must-visit on the day of the celebration. It is said that Lucia was buried in the church but we could not get in to see her tomb with our own eyes because it was closed then. We came a few days after the observance of Lucia Day ( December 13). We saw it in an Italian newspaper that this place was packed with people. But quite empty when we arrived.
That’s hubby looking closely to the church, hoping the door would be opened long enough to let us in. With hopes in vain, we just satisfied ourselves by taking pics, posing and staring at the church.
Oh, I do remember why we couldn’t get in the church. It was lunchtime and everything is normally closed in Italy from 1 p.m to 3 p.m. I also recall that hubby was in a hurry to find a restaurant, afraid we would miss lunch and wait for dinnertime at 8 p.m. Anyway, have a peaceful Santa Lucia Day!
Aww, thank you! I don’t know when we can visit Sicily again though.