Every year in early December the town green in Arlington, Vt. is lit by a colorful procession of candles, song and story. This weekend-long St. Lucia Festival of Lights is part of a millennium-old tradition that started and became popular in Sweden, and has become a tradition in this small town located on Historic Route 7A about halfway between Bennington and Manchester.
According to tradition, Saint Lucia was a young Sicilian girl from 500 A.D. who stood by her faith during dark times. She wore a crown of candles, supposedly to help find her way through the dark caves in which persecuted Christians hid from the Roman officers. She would bring them food and water to keep them alive. Caught in the act, Lucia was ordered to renounce her faith, and after refusing she was condemned to death by burning, but legend says she was impervious to flames. She was killed after her neck was pierced with a Roman officer’s sword.
No one is quite sure why this child of the Mediterranean caught on in distant Sweden and Norway, though historians believe King Canute of Sweden imported the tradition. He rules around 1000 A.D., a time when Swedes were just beginning to convert to the Christian faith. He supposedly declared that in Sweden, the Christmas celebration would last for a full month, beginning on Dec. 13, the Feast of St. Lucia, and ending on Jan. 13, on a holiday named after himself, St. Canute’s Day.
But perhaps even more important than the king’s proclamation is the hope and peace that the St. Lucia holiday gave to these countries of such high latitudes. ‘Lucia’ means light, and before 16th century Gregorian calendar reform, Dec. 13 was recognized as winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. The lighting of candles and celebration of “The Queen of Light†brings hope in the renewal of another year at a time when the days seem mercilessly short.
Even today, in Sweden and Norway, St. Lucia Day is still celebrated on Dec. 13. Processions of young girls dressed in white, carrying candles, and boys wearing tall white hats, make their way through towns and villages. The children stop in at homes, hospitals, factories and offices, singing songs and bringing cakes and coffee to people. The day is also celebrated to a lesser extent in Italy, with bonfires and feasts.
The celebration in Arlington, put on by St. James Church, is a weekend-long event that includes a festival of songs, stories, Swedish food and lore, as well as Vermont crafts, tours of historic inns, and the traditional pageant of St. Lucia. This year it will take place the weekend of Dec. 7 - 9. Christmas tree lighting and caroling on the Arlington Town Green will take place Saturday, Dec. 8 at 4:30 p.m., directly followed by the St. Lucia Festival of Light Ceremony at St. James Church, at 5. For further information, call the church at (802) 375-2800.
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Winter Storm Warning Issued for Berkshires
Another snowstorm is expected to move through the region overnight on Friday, bringing 5 to 8 inches of snow. This is updated from Thursday's winter weather advisory.
The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., has posted a winter storm warning for all of Berkshire County and parts of eastern New York State beginning Friday at 4 p.m. through Saturday at 1 p.m.
The region could see heavy to moderate snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour overnight, tapering off Saturday morning to flurries.
Drivers should exercise caution on Friday night and Saturday morning, as travel conditions may be hazardous.
Saturday night should be clear and calm, but warming temperatures means freezing rain Sunday night and rain through Monday with highs in the 40s. The forecast isn't much better through the week as temperatures dip back into the teens with New Year's Eve looking cloudy and frigid.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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