Through the darkness the voices of singing children filled the auditorium. Then, like a vision, two young women dressed in white robes walked solemnly down the aisles, their heads crowned with lights.
They are the embodiment of Santa Lucia, come to light the way in dark times and give comfort.
For the members of the Utah Swedish Heritage Society, last week's celebration of Santa Lucia at Wasatch Junior High is a precursor to Christmas and a tie to their Swedish heritage. But what has become mainly a cultural event has religious roots that stretch far back to the dawn of Christianity in Italy.
Legends tell of a girl born in the city of Syracuse on the island of Sicily around the year 283 A.D. Born to a wealthy family, Lucia was said to have vowed to remain a virgin and give her possessions to the poor. Lucia, meaning light, brought food to many persecuted Christians who hid in underground tunnels, legends tell. To find her way in the darkness, she was said to have worn a wreath with candles on her head, leaving her hands free to carry food.
Some versions of the legend say that her family intended to marry her to a pagan. When she refused, her suitor exposed Lucia as a Christian and she was sent to a brothel. However, Lucia was spared her fate by her faith, legends say, by becoming unmovable.
When ordered to be burned at the stake, the flames would not harm her. Ultimately it is said she was struck down by a sword to her throat on Dec. 13, 304. Some tell that Lucia lost her eyes during torture but her sight was restored by a miracle. For many in Italy, Santa Lucia is the patron said of the blind.
Long after Lucia's death, famine struck Italy in the mid-17th century, but the people of Syracuse tell of a boat filled with food appearing in the harbor, steered by a woman in a white robe with lights about her head. This event ultimately inspired a famous Italian ballad about the saint, which is sung not only in Sweden but has been translated in numerous languages. The song was composed in the 1850s by Italian poet Theodoro Cottrau as a seaman's song.
The festival of Santa Lucia is still celebrated in parts of Italy in various ways. Some refrain from eating bread or pasta and eat cooked wheat in memory of the boat full of food, which included wheat. Elaborate Lucia processions are also held in Italy.
Just how the festival of Santa Lucia arrived in Sweden is unclear. Many speculate that the tradition was brought by Christian missionaries or by sailors who traded with Italy.
Regardless, it is a tradition that has been strongly embraced by many in Sweden.
"Santa Lucia is huge in Sweden," said Allan Hedberg, marketing director for the Utah Swedish Heritage Society,
Depending on who you ask, Hedberg said, the event is about as big for girls in Sweden as homecoming in the United States.
Before Dec. 13, each village in Sweden chooses one girl to be Lucia, arguably the most attractive. In the morning, children bring their parents breakfast in bed and sing songs.
In Stockholm, a national Lucia is chosen each year by the Nobel Prize winner for literature, who is selected on Dec. 10. The Swedes have even constructed an outdoor stadium for the national Santa Lucia event.
Hedberg said a "festival of light" such as Lucia probably worked well with Swedes, who endure extremely long nights during the winter. In Stockholm, Sweden's capital, sunset comes around 4 p.m. in winter. In the northern parts it comes as early as 2 p.m.
Lucia also comes just before the turn of the winter solstice when days begin to get longer. Hedberg said it's easy to notice the symbolic significance of Lucia bringing light at this time.
Dressed as Lucia, 18-year-old Elizabeth Decker said she was honored to be chosen as one of two Lucias this year in Utah.
"You're only Lucia once," she said. After years of following other girls in the Lucia procession, this was her year. Decker said she did it mostly for her Swedish grandparents. "It helps me understand where my grandparents come from, and it helps me understand them," she said. Although she realizes the event comes from religious roots, it's the cultural aspect that she follows.
Playing Lucia, Decker said, took six weeks of practice. "But seeing the look on my grandparents' faces just makes all the difference," she said.
E-mail: gfattah@desnews.com