Thursday, March 28, 2024
Banner
Santa Lucia day, Dec. 13 | Print |  E-mail
December 13 is the day in honor of Santa Lucia.

Santa Lucia was a rich, young Christian girl who was martyred in 304 A.D. She chose to die rather than be married to a pagan, who then had her tortured and murdered. She died on the longest night of the year, December 13th, and is the patron saint of those who are blind and suffer with eye problems.  In fact, her name means "light".

There are several versions of St. Lucia's story and she is celebrated in other countries as well as Sicily.

One legend has it that during the great Sicilian famine of 1582, a large group went to the church to pray to 'Santa Lucia' for an end to the famine. While they prayed, a ship came into the Syracuse (Siracusa, Sicily) harbor filled with wheat and they were saved. They were so famished that they did not process the wheat into flour. Instead, they boiled the unprocessed wheat berries, and called it Cuccia or Cuccidata.

In Italy, a few towns, especially Siracusa Sicily, will have a big celebration.

Below is Rosanna Spallino performing at the Santa Lucia celebration at the Italian Club in Ybor City, December 2009.


 

Add comment


Security code
Refresh

Feedback

We would really like your feedback. Tell us what

we need to add to make this the absolute best

Italian resource site. Click Here

Privacy Policy | Advertise | Disclaimer