Swedish Santa Lucia Visits Italy

Santa Lucia Shines Bright in Italy for Christmas

The 2024 festive season in Italy brings back a beloved Swedish tradition – the celebration of Santa Lucia – thanks to the embassy of Sweden in Rome.

For over a decade, the Swedish embassy has shared its country’s enchanting Santa Lucia celebration with Italy every December.

This tradition is a homage to S. Lucia, an Italian Catholic martyr from Syracuse, whose name has been associated with Sweden’s annual festival of light over the years.

Now a significant event on the Swedish calendar, the festival showcases young singers in white robes and red sashes, carrying candles in a procession while singing traditional songs.

This year’s celebrations will be held in various cities across Italy, including Rome, Trieste, Turin, Florence, Bari, Nardò, Locorotondo, and Siracusa.

The darkness of December will be illuminated by the Santa Lucia procession, featuring a choir from Stockholm’s Nordiska Musikgymnasiet high school performing traditional Christmas hymns.

One of the highlights of the program is a concert at Piazza di Pietra in the heart of Rome on Tuesday, December 10, presented by the Swedish ambassador to Italy, Jan Björklund.

Attendees at the concert will enjoy Swedish Christmas treats like glögg (hot spiced wine) and pepparkakor (ginger bread biscuits).

Another concert will take place in Rome on Monday, December 9, at 7:00 pm, at the Church of Santa Lucia in the Prati district.

Follow the Santa Lucia events on social media with the hashtag #santaluciasvedese and explore Rome’s Swedish community in the Wanted in Rome feature article.

For more information, visit the Swedish embassy website. Images courtesy Ambasciata di Svezia in Italia