Gustavus Adolphus College will celebrate its 73rd annual Festival of St. Lucia at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 12 in Christ Chapel. As part of this seasonal tradition, six sophomore women have been chosen to serve on the Lucia court.
Access the live stream of the Festival of St. Lucia Chapel Service.
This year’s court consists of Emily Albrecht of Wimbledon, N.D., Haley Coller of Bloomington, Minn., Casey Lindquist of Chanhassen, Minn., Hayley Nemmers of Des Moines, Iowa, Christina Swenson of Marion, Iowa, and Mikaela Warner of Roseville, Minn. The women are chosen based on courageous leadership, strength of character, service to others, and compassion.
The Festival of St. Lucia begins the Christmas season in Swedish custom and is traditionally held on December 13. On this day in Sweden, the eldest daughter plays the role of St. Lucia by preparing and serving baked goods and coffee to her family at sunrise. Wearing a crown of lighted candles, Lucia represents the return of light that will end the long winter nights and serves as a symbol of hope and peace for the Christmas season.
At Gustavus, the St. Lucia Court traditionally sings carols in the College’s residence halls during the early morning hours on the day of the crowning. Lucia is chose through a campus community vote, which will take place online Dec. 3-6.
A traditional Scandinavian smorgasbord luncheon will take place in Alumni Hall at 11 a.m. following the Festival of St. Lucia in Christ Chapel. The festival service is open to the public and a limited number of luncheon tickets are available for purchase through gustavustickets.com at $25 apiece. For more information about the Festival of St. Lucia, contact the Office of Marketing and Communication at 507-933-7520.
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