St. Lucy lived almost two thousand years ago, thus much of her life is not known. We have a few facts we believe which were passed down through stories about her. We also have traditions which have been created in honor of her.
Here’s what we know for sure: She lived in the 300s AD in Sicily. She was a Christian. At that time, it was illegal to be a Christian, and so, when her faith was discovered, she was put to death.
The rest of this story comes from legends and traditions surrounding her life:
Lucy is said to have come from a rich family. Her father died when she was very young, and she was raised by her mother. Her mother was very sick and worried for Lucy’s future, so she arranged a marriage to a wealthy young man who did not believe in God. Lucy, however, had other plans. She had already promised to marry Christ alone. Lucy’s mom did not agree with this choice.
Lucy wanted to find a way to change her mother’s mind. Not far from their house was the shrine of St. Agatha. Many visitors to this shrine had experienced miraculous healings, and so Lucy convinced her mother to visit the shrine to ask God to heal her. At the shrine, Lucy’s mother was healed and was convinced not to force Lucy to marry the young man. Lucy’s mother also allowed her to use their fortune to help the poor.
Around this time, the leaders of the land began to kill Christians who would not deny God. Many Christians hid in underground tunnels, called catacombs, which were also used to bury the dead. The tunnels were dark and cold, and leaving to find food or water was dangerous.
Lucy, however, had some safety in her family’s wealth. Those who sought to punish Christians often went after the poor who had no way to fight back. Lucy used her family’s great fortune to purchase food for the hiding Christians. It is said that her arms would be so full of food and water that she would wear a wreath of candles to light her way through the tunnels.
The word of Lucy’s good deeds and her faith in God spread throughout the town. The young man who Lucy had refused to marry grew angry. He was embarrassed that Lucy had chosen to marry Christ instead of him and jealous to see all of her money spent on the poor. In his anger, he reported Lucy to the authorities as a Christian.
The governor decided to make an example out of Lucy to convince other Christians to turn away from God. He tried to have Lucy tortured in many ways, but God protected her and stopped him. God held Lucy in place when the soldiers tried to drag her to prison and stopped branches from catching on fire when they tried to burn her to death. Despite all of the tortures she endured, Lucy continued to profess faith in God.
Eventually, God allowed the governor’s attempts to be successful, and Lucy died as a martyr. But her death did not have the effect he had wanted. Instead of turning people away from Christ, Lucy’s witness brought hundreds to faith in Christ.
St. Lucy reminds us to serve others. Even when the world turns against or forgets them, we can reach out to our neighbors to also be a light to them.
Sicily: In the 1500s, a great famine occurred in the area of Syracuse. The people prayed, asking St. Lucy to help them. A ship carrying grain was thrown off course in a storm and landed in the harbor of Syracuse. The people were so hungry and so thankful, that they did not even grind the grain to make bread. They boiled it and ate it like porridge. To this day, Sicilians remember this miracle by eating a special dessert made from wheat grain called cuccia to celebrate St. Lucy’s feast.
Sweden: On St. Lucy’s feast, the oldest daughter of the family will wake up before the rest of the family. She will dress in a special outfit: a white gown to symbolize St. Lucy’s marriage to Christ, a red sash to symbolize her death as a martyr, and a crown with candles on her head to remember St. Lucy’s trips into the dark catacombs. Her little brothers might also join her, dressed in white gowns with cone shaped hats covered in stars. She then wakes up the family and serves them a special meal, often including sweet buns.
Churches in this part of the world will also have processions led by a girl dressed as St. Lucy followed by boys dresses as Star Boys and other girls dressed in white robes, all holding candles.