29 December 2005

St. Lucia celebration

I know, it was December 13th and not today. But I've only just worked out the audio file thing, right? Besides, it's kind of cute regardless. (Erh, it's in honour of St. Lucia, I guess, but the only content basically is to watch kids dress up in white, candlelights play a big part, and then some kind of yellowish buns, "lussekatter"...) We're not a catholic country and we haven't got saints, not really, but some have stuck anyway, it seems!
- This photo is so blurred, I thought I'd just put it in as it is... Besides - only two of these kids are mine :)

Anyway, our quads' kindergarten take pride in a St. Lucia parade every Dec 13th, in the morning before all the parents are off to work, and while it's still dark outside. The kids parade around the house while singing, and then light the outdoor Christmas tree while singing some more - actually the atmosphere is great! This year our Anna was St. Lucia herself (they draw lottery tickets among the oldest kids, very democratic!) - which means she was leading the parade together with the "star boy" with the coned star hat...

Then hark now hear Thomas singing the song of St. Lucia...

5 comments:

Just D said...

It's been great to catch up on your posts... I've missed you! Cute pix, and I've always wanted to know someone who celebrates by wearing burning candles on their head!

Unknown said...

Do I need I special programme to hear the angel sing? I clicked on the link and only got a page with lots of gibberish.

Norwegianthinker said...

Great to see your Lucia-posting! It's really a wonderful tradition. Usually it's for kids, but as you've seen from my blog we celebrate it at our work-place as well (with only adults present!)

Unknown said...

you give me an excuse to post my poor translation of Gabriela Mistral's "Salt," which contains a reference to Saint Lucia:

SALT

The salt collected from the dune,
vivid gull, fresh winged,
turns its head to search for me
from its filmy basket.

I come and go in the house
as if I don’t see her
and she doesn’t see me,
Sightless Lucia, white Saint Lucia.

But the Saint of salt,
who comforts and delves,
with her dry white gaze,
pierces, watches, and oversees
the woman in sorrow
and the setting out of supper.

From the table she comes to my breast;
from my chamber she goes to the pantry,
with the lightness of thistledown
and the broken brilliance of an arrow.

I gather her up like a living thing,
she slips through my hands
with the face of one falling and subjected,
finds the whiteness, sees the sad
salt dune of my head.

She salted my tearducts
and the roadways of my veins,
She soon lost me
like a companion at play,
and in my palms, to her return,
with my blood I reencountered her…
Hand to hand, we have each other,
like Rachel, like Rebecca.
I turn her broken body
and she turns my long hair.
And we tell each other of the Antilles
or we rave about the Provinces.

Both of us came from the waves
with their mirrors of brine.
From the free sea they brought us
to a house profoundly quiet

And the handful of salt and I
as nuns or as prisoners,
both crying, both captives,
cross for the door.

Unknown said...

which two are yours? all are adorable (though the rubbed-out faces on the pic in the previous day's post fresk me out a bit; a little too "The Ring" for my taste).

WV = amsuh, a Southern American dialect term for "absolutely"