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The S:ta Lucia Festival
The celebration of S:ta Lucia in the middle of December is a major and important festival of light in Sweden. A time of myriad processions and, most especially, of Lucia concerts in our churches, concert halls, schools and our places of work.
The celebrations named after the Sicilian St Lucia do not have much in common with their namesake. In Sweden Lucia is a symbolic figure who greets us when the days are darkest in order, as the saying goes, to bring back the light.
Since the beginning of the 1980's the Adolf Fredrik's Girls Choir have performed their special Lucia concerts (titled "Goder afton, mitt herrskap", Good evening, dear master and mistress). At these concerts the choir perform the best songs from the repertoire of Lucia songs and carols, incl. Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols.
Listen to the marvellous sound of Adolf Fredrik's Girls Choir; a live recording from the S:ta Lucia Concert in December 2000, incl Jeanette KÖHN, soprano, and Magnus SVENSSON, piano. All conducted by Bo JOHANSSON
The girl selected as Lucia wears a wreath of candles and a white, full-length chemise, with a red ribbon round her waist. Her attendants are dressed similarly, and with candles in their hands.
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