Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Saint Lucy's Day" in English language version.
Translated: Folk beliefs say that the density, color and richness of the sprouted wheat foretell a good or bad harvest. So if it is thick, full of colour and firm, it will be a good harvest or in other words, you will have a better, healthier and more successful year.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Lucy's name means light. Coming midway through Advent, her feast day guides our hope towards the coming of Christ in our Light. Lucy was a young woman of Syracuse in Sicily (an island off the southern coast of Italy). We know she died a martyr during the persecutions by the Roman emperor Diocletian.
Her chief offence may have been that she bestowed the whole of her large wealth on the poor instead of sharing it with her suitor who accused her to the governor of professing Christianity and in consequence she suffered in the Diocletian persecution. She appears to have died in prison, of wounds, on 13th December 304, A.D. In the 6th century, she was honored at Rome among the most illustrious virgins whose triumphs the church celebrates, as appears from the Sacramentary of St. Gregory, Bede, and others.
The tradition of planting wheat on St. Lucy's Day comes from Hungary, Croatia and other European nations. Plant wheat grains in a round dish or plate of soil, then water the seeds. Place the container in a warm spot. If the planting medium is kept moist (not sopping wet), the seeds will germinate and the shoots will be several inches high by Christmas. Then the new green shoots, reminding us of the new life born in Bethlehem, may be tied with a ribbon, if desired, and a candle may be placed near them as a symbol of the Light of Christ.
It's believed that the taller the wheat grows, the more prosperous the coming year will be. This tradition dates back to times when agriculture was the main economic activity and is connected with fertility cults. By Christmas Eve, the wheat, now hopefully tall, green and beautiful, is tied with a ribbon in red, white and blue – the colours of the Croatian flag. In Slavonia, people observe the weather on each following day until Christmas, which falls on the 12th day from St. Lucia's Day. It is believed that the weather on each of these days shows what the weather will be like on each of the following months in the upcoming year.
What's more, people in some regions plant Christmas wheat even earlier – on St. Barbara's day, 4th December, so that the wheat could grow even taller before Christmas.
Allí, cada año celebraban Santa Llúcia, la patrona de las modistas, con un desfile especial; cada 13 de diciembre, se invitaba a las familias y amigos de todas las modistas para ver como la ropa cedía su espacio al papel, en vestidos realmente espectaculares.[...] Manteniéndose fieles a la idea original, hacía falta escoger una fecha próxima al día de Santa Llúcia, por eso aquel primer Concurso se celebró el domingo dia 12 de diciembre de ese mismo año.
This timing, and her name meaning light, is a factor in the particular devotion to St. Lucy in Scandinavian countries, where young girls dress as the saint in honor of the feast. Traditionally the oldest daughter of any household will dress up in a white robe with a red sash and a wreath of evergreens and 12 lighted candles upon her head. Assisted by any siblings she may have, she then serves coffee and a special St Lucia bun (a Lussekatt in Norwegian) to her parents and family. The Lussekatter or Lusseboller are spiced buns flavoured with saffron and other spices and traditionally presented in the form shown in the image, an inverted S with two raisins a-top (perhaps representing St Lucy's plucked out eyes!?).
The white gown is a reminder that Lucy died as a virgin, and it recalls the white robes of the baptized; the red sash represents the blood of her martyrdom. The procession symbolizes bringing the light of Christianity throughout the world's darkness. This aspect is especially highlighted in the Finnish celebration: in Helsinki, for example, on Sunday Lucy will be crowned in the Lutheran cathedral to later come out of the church with her procession to bring light to the city centre. ... Concerts resound in all major churches, Protestant and Catholic alike. It is said that the best choirs perform in Stockholm and Linköping, and while in the past they were female choirs, today also male singers are admitted, and young men dressed in white also take part in the procession accompanying Lucy, that continues being represented by a young girl.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)