Day 13, Saint Lucy

Probably the biggest Yuletide tradition in Sweden is the Sant Lucia procession. The always beautiful Lucia in her crown of candles leads a long line of handmaids carrying candles or lanterns, stars, gingerbread folks and even tomtar. Lucia was a saint in syracuse around the 4th cantury who gave up a high ranking wedding to serve the christians escaping persecution. She brought food by candlelight to the refugees and wore a crown of candles on her head so she could keep her hands free to bring more food. And of course she had cats. In Sweden, one of the best christmas treats is Lussekatt (lucy's cat), an S shaped saffron bun (cat shaped) with raisin eyes. Meet Pip and Squeak. We adopted these kittens around the same time as the conception of this project. They found their ways as quickly into my paintings as they did into our hearts. I hope my Swedish friends will forgive me for incorporating them into this most important of julfirande but it was just so fun to paint!

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