Swedes really do it up for the Christmas season, and honestly making intentional efforts to make things brighter and cheerier during these darkest weeks seems like a really good idea. St Lucia’s day was on a Wednesday and the official treat of the day is the Lussebulle/Lucia bun or Lussekatt/Lucia cat. Local mini-mart Pressbyran had some great ads featuring cats with the traditional Lucia crown of candles to sell their (cheap but forgettable) version of the yellow saffron bun. Since their is a tradition to have a singing contest to see who will be the year’s Lucia, many small community newspapers also hold a contest to pick the year’s Lucia cat. I really enjoyed this when I first saw it in Gävle, and I guess I’m not alone since a Google News search shows every town awarding their cutest local kitty.
This year the pathways into the University and the hospital were lined with big candles and it really did feel special – below is the view from my bike.
It seems the Americans are taking notice – but somehow Lucia would just not be the same in Florida.