Tuesday 16 November 2010

Burning - Illustration Friday


I believe it's a little bit early to start with Christmas now. I did this one last week, planning on making some Christmas cards. But this week the theme on Illustration Friday is "Burning", and I thought Saint Lucia with her candles in her hair is a good interpretation of that.

For you who never have experienced a "Saint Lucia train" here's some facts from Wikipedia.

"In Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Norway, and Finland, Lucy (called Lucia) it is venerated on December 13 in a ceremony where a girl is elected to portray Lucia. Wearing a white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head, she walks at the head of a procession of women, each holding a candle. The candles symbolize the fire that refused to take St. Lucia's life when she was sentenced to be burned. The women sing a Lucia song while entering the room, to the melody of the traditional Neapolitan song Santa Lucia; the Italian lyrics describe the view from Santa Lucia in Naples, the various Scandinavian lyrics are fashioned for the occasion, describing the light with which Lucia overcomes the darkness. Each Scandinavian country has lyrics in their native tongues. After finishing this song, the procession sings Christmas carols or more songs about Lucia. A similar version occurs in Scandinavian communities and churches in the United States."