La festa di Santa Lucia. Today is the feastday of Saint Lucia of Syracuse (283–304) a martyr revered for her courage in secretly bringing food to those who were hiding from persecution in the catacombs under Rome. Legend tells us that she wore a crown of candles to light her way so that her hands were free to carry the food.
Before the calendar was changed, her feast fell on the shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice. It is still a big celebration in Nordic countries, marking the turn in winter and the return of light
All night my heart makes its way
however it can over the rough ground
of uncertainties, but only until night
meets and then is overwhelmed by
morning, the light deepening, the
wind easing and just waiting, as I
too wait (and when have I ever been
disappointed?) for redbird to sing.
Mary Oliver, A Thousand Mornings
