I roll my eyes at those who woof away about the "war on Christmas", nearly always white and entitled folk who have absolute freedom to worship in any way they choose but resent others who might not want Christian holidays imposed on them. Actually, most people from other religions just want freedom to celebrate their own festivals.
What I've noticed through the decades is that we have become more aware of Christmas traditions from around the world which are often very different from what we might assume is the "real" Christmas. One has to do with with St. Lucy or Lucia, a second century martyr, whose feast day was this past week. Here is a portion of the description in the Britannica online resource:
St. Lucy is venerated on her feast day, December 13, by a variety of ceremonies. In Sweden, St. Lucia's Day marks the beginning of the Christmas celebration. On that day the eldest daughter of the family traditionally dresses in a white robe and wears as a crown an evergreen wreath studded with candles. The festival is meant to bring hope and light during the darkest time of the year.
The head gear, a moveable Advent wreath, is both enchanting and a "don't try this at home" nightmare! You would need your extinguishers "locked and loaded."
St. Lucia Day also marks the beginning of the festive season in Denmark. A story about a flotilla of kayaks in Copenhagen really tickled my fancy. As you can see, these vessels make their way through the canals of the city, decked out in Christmas lights and decorations with those on board singing traditional Christmas songs and carols.How cool is this?
Mind you, I won't even bother to ask Ruth to give it a try. Alas, she is adventurous, but not foolhardy.
Copenhagen Kayakers
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