Lucia Fest & St. Erics Fair at Old Swedes Church
December 9-11, 2011
Fri Dec. 9 - 6pm and 8pm
Sat and Sun Dec 10-11 2pm, 3:30pm and 5pm
The Lucia Fest weaves together a number of Swedish holiday traditions into a colorful musical pageant. The heart of the celebration is the Lucia procession in which a young woman is joined by other female members of the household in taking hot coffee and a warm Lucia bun to all the residents of the home. She comes crowned with candles, dressed in white, singing her traditional song, Sankta Lucia. In Sweden her day is celebrated in homes before dawn on the 13th of December, which, at one stage of life with the Julian calendar, marked the winter solstice the point at which the hours of darkness begin to diminish and the daylight hours begin to lengthen.
At Gloria Dei Church the celebration is held within the walls constructed by Swedish settlers in 1699-1700, in the beauty of candlelight, with a large entourage of young girls joining her in song and procession. For many people participation in the Lucia Fest is a unique way of marking the beginning of the holiday season.
Presentations will be made at 6:00 & 8:00 PM on Friday, December 9th; on Saturday and Sunday, December 10th and 11th, the presentations are at 2:00, 3:30, & 5:00 PM. Before, during and after each of the presentations, the St. Erics Fair, a Christmas bazaar that specializes in Scandinavian imports is held in the Parish Hall that adjoins the Church. Food and drink are available. Free parking is provided
Tickets can be purchased at the door; groups of 10 or more are encouraged to make reservations by calling the church office at 215-389-1513. Tickets are $10.00 per adult; $5.00 for children under 12 years of age.
Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the church office from 10/17 thru 11/30/2011. Tickets will then be available only at the door the day of each performance.
http://www.old-swedes.org/SpecialEvents4583.php
