Gustavus Adolphus College will celebrate its 74th annual Festival of St. Lucia at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 11 in Christ Chapel. As part of this seasonal tradition, six sophomore women have been chosen to serve on the Lucia Court.
This year’s court consists of Sarah Barnes from Prior Lake, Minn., Rachel Hain from Roseville, Minn., Janet Jennings from Inglewood, Calif., Kendyl Landeck from Moscow, Idaho, Sharon Singh from Rochester, Minn., and Laura Swenson from Eagan, Minn. The women are chosen based on courageous leadership, strength of character, service to others, and compassion.
The Festival of St. Lucia is one of many Swedish traditions during the Christmas season and is traditionally held on December 13. On this day in Sweden, the eldest daughter plays the role of St. Lucia by rising early in the morning to prepare and serve baked goods and coffee to her family. 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 chosen through a campus community vote, which will take place online Dec. 2-5.
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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