Feast of St. Lucy 2016

December 13 is the Feast of Saint Lucy, an early and beloved martyr in the Roman Catholic Church. She lived in Syracuse, Sicily, and died during the Diocletian Persecution. The story goes that she had a strong faith from an early age. Her mother tried to marry Lucy to a Roman noble. She convinced her mother not to let her be married but the jilted bridegroom reported Lucy to the authorities. The governor tried to have her hauled off to a brothel. The guards couldn't move her, even with a team of oxen. They tried to burn her to death but the wood wouldn't catch. In desperation, they killed her with their swords. Another legend tells that the governor had her eyes gouged out when she said he would be punished. When her body was buried, her eyes were restored. So she is the patron of the blind. The name "Lucy" is related to the word "light" in Latin, so images of light and eyes are common in her iconography.

To celebrate the day, our daughter (who is named after the saint) dressed in some traditional garb. What the girls do in Europe is wear a crown with candles. Being safety-minded we used a special hat that she wore with her pajamas.

Looking like a little hipster--I swear that's a drink of water

We made the Saint Lucy Saffron Buns from two years ago, but without the saffron! My daughter was delighted to help out and make a fabulous breakfast treat.

Undecorated buns

Lightly glazing the buns

Putting the "hand" in hand-crafted

A thing of beauty is a joy forever

She insisted on following the usual tradition of the eldest daughter carrying buns to everyone in the family while still in bed. So we all went back to bed. We were happy to receive such delights but did go back to the kitchen to eat them.

You're not going to post this on the blog, are you, Daddy?

We made enough buns that we had them for dessert after diner! What a wonderful feast to celebrate. Saint Lucy, pray for us!