Today is St. Lucia Day!  Members of the Covenant Church with its Swedish heritage, we have had the joy of celebrating Lucia in many churches: Lucia breakfasts, Lucia smorgasbord dinners, and special music or presentations. 

Saint Lucia, originally from Sicily, was persecuted for her faith.  Her story was carried to Sweden, and it is there that the tradition began.  The eldest daughter of the family gets up very early Dec. 13.  Wearing a long white robe with red ribbon around her waist and a wreath of candles on her head,  she delivers coffee and saffron buns to everyone in the house, while singing the traditional Santa Lucia song.  December being the darkest time of year, bringing light to the world is very significant in Sweden.  Christians, of course, recognize Jesus’ birth as the light of the world coming to earth, and so celebrate St. Lucia as a part of the advent season in anticipation of Christmas.

We have Santa Lucia here in Yaounde too!  But you won’t see girls in white dresses with candles; instead tnere are clerks in clean uniforms.  Here, Santa Lucia is a bakery and grocery store.  We’re quite pleased that a new one has recently opened in our neighborhood!

And you won’t find saffron buns here.  Instead, there’s a deli counter with Cameroonian fast food, sandwiches, breads of all shapes and sizes, and yummy French pastries including some of our favorites like…

Happy Saint Lucia Day… and bon appetit!   From the Z’s in Yaounde, where Santa Lucia isn’t just December 13.