The Festa of Santa Lucia and a Street party in Italy

Описание: We were part of the festivities celebrating the Festa of Santa Lucia in our town in Puglia Italy last night.
The Festa of Santa Lucia was celebrated in our town San Paolo di Civitate this evening. We are in the Foggia province in Puglia Italy.
I really enjoyed the celebration of this traditional yearly event with my husband Antonio.
Hope you enjoy the video.
Santa Lucia, il giorno piu’ corto che ci sia translates to Santa Lucia, the shortest day of the year. Every Italian child knows this saying, said on December 13 of each year to celebrate the feast of Santa Lucia. Although the feast day of St. Lucy takes place a week before the Winter Solstice, it remains a splendid way for the Saint to be remembered, especially during the busy days spent prepare for the joyous Christmas holiday.

Saint Lucy was born in Sicily in the 3rd century to a wealthy family. She was a devout Christian at a time when Christians were heavily persecuted and vowed to live as a virgin in devotion to Christ. Her mother; however, arranged a marriage for her to a pagan suitor. To dissuade her mother by proof of a miracle, Lucy prayed at the tomb of St. Agatha that her mother would be cured of a long term illness. When the miracle happened, her mother agreed to call off plans for the wedding.

Lucy’s suitor, it seems, had other plans. Incensed at being jilted, he revealed her to be a Christian. When the Roman authorities came to arrest Lucy, planning to force her into slavery, they were unable to move her. They tied her to a team of oxen and still the Saint could not be moved. The authorities then planned to torture her by burning her with fire, but the fire would not stay lit. In a fit of rage, the brutal men tore her eyes out and killed the innocent girl. St. Lucy thus became the patron of the blind and is often depicted carrying her eyes, tied to a team of oxen. Her name, “Lucia,” means “Light,” which plays a role in the customs of her feast day.

The feast of Saint Lucy is celebrated differently throughout the regions of Italy. In the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto, Saint Lucy’s Day is celebrated with outdoor markets, offering candies and handmade products to buy as gifts. While Saint Lucy’s Day is a day of merriment and exchanging gifts and sweets in northern regions of Italy, in the southern regions of Calabria and Sicily, the day is marked with far more veneration.
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