St. Lucia’s Day is a women’s holiday in the Czech Republic, celebrated annually on December 13th.

Lucia (Lukia) lived at the turn of the 3rd and 4th centuries and was killed for her Christian views. She is a symbol of purity and is often depicted as a girl in a long white robe. It is now generally accepted that Lucia saves people from witchcraft and helps housewives. On this day, girls are not recommended to spin or engage in other work.

Many folk customs were associated with the feast of St. Lucia in the Czech Republic. Groups of costumed people, led by girls called Lucii, walked from house to house. Lucii dressed in a bird costume with a large beak or whitened their faces with flour. They checked the houses for cleanliness and how the housewives were preparing for the upcoming Christmas holidays (according to the old calendar, this holiday fell on December 21).

Celebrating St. Lucia’s Day in Sweden

Also, according to folk legends, on the night of this day, witches flock to their sabbaths. They walk in white veils and can dance men who fall under their spell on the street until they die. This was women’s revenge on men because they did not want to clean their houses before the holidays.

Carnival procession on Lucia Day in one of the Scandinavian countries

In the modern Czech Republic, this holiday is no longer as popular as in some other European countries (for example, Sweden and Finland). For Czechs, St. Lucia’s Day is an opportunity for women to simply relax. In Scandinavian countries, colorful carnival processions are held on this day.