Danish club celebrates the story of St. Lucia

An age-old Scandinavian tradition was reenacted in Bay Ridge tocelebrate the winter holidays, as members of the Danish Club, asthey do every year, performed the traditional story of Saint Luciaon December 10.

There are various legends of how Saint Lucia came from Italy toSweden, but club members acted out the most popular one, accordingto Ingeborg Rupinsti, a club member.

The customs goes as follows: on the morning of the shortest dayof the year — normally according to the old calendar it wasDecember 13 — the oldest daughter gets up early in the morning,wearing a long white gown with a red sash, explained Rupinsti.She wears a wreath on her head with candles and carries a traywith coffee and buns. Then she goes from house to house, givingthem to people.

Rupinsti said that this custom is reenacted in all Danishcircles around the globe. At the Danish Club, We all wore longwhite gowns and the Lucia wears a red sash, she said, adding thatthe group entered the room while the traditional Italian SantaLucia song is sung and someone told the story in both Swedish andEnglish.

We all carried a tray of buns and coffee to enjoy, Rupinstiadded.

Another aspect of the celebration is candle lighting. Littletrumpet boys dressed up like red gnomes went to each small tableand lit candles on it.

You see all the little candles lit up at every table, which isvery festive, Rupinsti said.