Every year in early December the town green in Arlington, Vt. is lit by a colorful procession of candles, song and story. This weekend-long St. Lucia Festival of Lights is part of a millennium-old tradition that started and became popular in Sweden, and has become a tradition in this small town located on Historic Route 7A about halfway between Bennington and Manchester.
According to tradition, Saint Lucia was a young Sicilian girl from 500 A.D. who stood by her faith during dark times. She wore a crown of candles, supposedly to help find her way through the dark caves in which persecuted Christians hid from the Roman officers. She would bring them food and water to keep them alive. Caught in the act, Lucia was ordered to renounce her faith, and after refusing she was condemned to death by burning, but legend says she was impervious to flames. She was killed after her neck was pierced with a Roman officer’s sword.
No one is quite sure why this child of the Mediterranean caught on in distant Sweden and Norway, though historians believe King Canute of Sweden imported the tradition. He rules around 1000 A.D., a time when Swedes were just beginning to convert to the Christian faith. He supposedly declared that in Sweden, the Christmas celebration would last for a full month, beginning on Dec. 13, the Feast of St. Lucia, and ending on Jan. 13, on a holiday named after himself, St. Canute’s Day.
But perhaps even more important than the king’s proclamation is the hope and peace that the St. Lucia holiday gave to these countries of such high latitudes. ‘Lucia’ means light, and before 16th century Gregorian calendar reform, Dec. 13 was recognized as winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. The lighting of candles and celebration of “The Queen of Light†brings hope in the renewal of another year at a time when the days seem mercilessly short.
Even today, in Sweden and Norway, St. Lucia Day is still celebrated on Dec. 13. Processions of young girls dressed in white, carrying candles, and boys wearing tall white hats, make their way through towns and villages. The children stop in at homes, hospitals, factories and offices, singing songs and bringing cakes and coffee to people. The day is also celebrated to a lesser extent in Italy, with bonfires and feasts.
The celebration in Arlington, put on by St. James Church, is a weekend-long event that includes a festival of songs, stories, Swedish food and lore, as well as Vermont crafts, tours of historic inns, and the traditional pageant of St. Lucia. This year it will take place the weekend of Dec. 7 - 9. Christmas tree lighting and caroling on the Arlington Town Green will take place Saturday, Dec. 8 at 4:30 p.m., directly followed by the St. Lucia Festival of Light Ceremony at St. James Church, at 5. For further information, call the church at (802) 375-2800.
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McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Landon LeClair and Superintendent James Brosnan with Landon's parents Eric and Susan LeClair, who is a teacher at McCann.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Superintendent's Award has been presented to Landon LeClair, a senior in McCann Technical School's advanced manufacturing course.
The presentation was made last Thursday by Superintendent Jame Brosnan after Principal Justin Kratz read from teachers' letters extolling LeClair's school work, leadership and dedication.
"He's become somewhat legendary at the Fall State Leadership Conference for trying to be a leader at his dinner table, getting an entire plate of cookies for him and all his friends," read Kratz to chuckles from the School Committee. "Landon was always a dedicated student and a quiet leader who cared about mastering the content."
LeClair was also recognized for his participation on the school's golf team and for mentoring younger teammates.
"Landon jumped in tutoring the student so thoroughly that the freshman was able to demonstrate proficiency on an assessment despite the missed class time for golf matches," read Kratz.
The principal noted that the school also received feedback from LeClair's co-op employer, who rated him with all fours.
"This week, we sent Landon to our other machine shop to help load and run parts in the CNC mill," his employer wrote to the school. LeClair was so competent the supervisor advised the central shop might not get him back.
The city has lifted a boil water order — with several exceptions — that was issued late Monday morning following several water line breaks over the weekend. click for more