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Show ! :' VICTORIA CARLSON Christmas in Sweden A parade honoring Santa Lucia marks the beginning of the Christmas Christ-mas season in Sweden. This is held on Dec. 13. The ancient legend is about the days of the Roman Empire when Christians were persecuted. The Roman emperor wanted to marry Lucia, a Christian. Unaware of her religious beliefs, the emperor spied on her. He discovered she visited the jail where Christians were housed, delivering food to them. Because her arms were carrying the food, Lucia had to pour candles on her head to give her light as she traveled the dark Roman streets. The discovery of Lucia's affiliation affilia-tion with Christianity angered the emperor and his friends. They attempted at-tempted to burn her but she was miraculously saved. Overcome by rage, the emperor stabbed Lucia. Victoria Carlson, exchange student stu-dent from Sweden, had the opportunity oppor-tunity of re-creating the role of Santa Lucia in many Dec. 13 parades. par-ades. The costume she wears is a long white gown with a red ribbon waist sash representing sainthood. A crown of lighted candles is worn on her head. The person selected to represent Santa Lucia is followed in parade fashion by others dressed in white; " " Christmas Eve is another important impor-tant day in the Swedish celebration calendar. Family members dfess up and have a large brunch at noon. Ham and herring are the featured meats. Everyone dances around the Christmas tree which is placed in the center of the room. Victoria says about 3 p.m. everyone every-one sits around the television set to watch Walt Disney's Donald Duck. At 5 p.m. it is dinner time. This meal consists of ham, salmon, rice pudding and other traditional foods. It usually lasts two to three hours. Victoria lives in a forest area of Sweden. At 7 p.m. the kitchen door opens and Santa Claus comes out of the forest with his sleigh filled with presents. He is given a bowl of rice porridge. Christmas day is a time to visit families and enjoy another big dinner. |