Santa Lucia brightens Italy's Christmas calendar.

The 2024 festive season in Italy sees a return of a popular Swedish tradition - the celebration of Santa Lucia - thanks to the embassy of Sweden in Rome.

For more than a decade, the Swedish embassy has brought its country's evocative celebration of Santa Lucia, or St Lucy, to Italy every December.

It is in fact a homecoming for S. Lucia, an Italian Catholic martyr from Syracuse, who over the centuries has lent her name to an annual festival of light in Sweden.

Now one of the most important events on the Swedish calendar, the festival features young singers dressed in white robes and red sashes, carrying candles in procession as they sing traditional songs.

This year's celebrations will take place in Rome as well as in Trieste, Turin, Florence, Bari, Nardò, Locorotondo and Siracusa.

The December darkness will be illuminated by the procession of Santa Lucia, comprising a choir from Stockholm's Nordiska Musikgymnasiet high school who will sing traditional Christmas hymns.

One of the main events in the programme is a concert at Piazza di Pietra in the centre of Rome on Tuesday 10 December, presented by the ambassador of Sweden in Italy, Jan Björklund.

Those attending the concert will be served Swedish Christmas treats such as glögg (hot spiced wine) and pepparkakor (ginger bread biscuits).

There is another concert in the Italian capital on Monday 9 December, at 19.00, in the Church of Santa Lucia in the Prati district.

The programme of Santa Lucia events can be followed on social media under the hashtag #santaluciasvedese while for insights into Rome's Swedish community see Wanted in Rome feature article.

For more details see the Swedish embassy website. Images courtesy Ambasciata di Svezia in Italia