The 2023 Santa Lucia celebration will be held at Fox Point Lutheran Church on December 17, 2023, 4 to 6 PM. Come and enjoy the Lucia program performed by children and young adults, directed by Stina Lemery with the help from Amanda Balistreri, at the beautiful Fox Point church.
Welcome the Christmas season with a celebration of light in the darkness of winter.
Hear the story and beautiful music of the Swedish celebration of Lucia. Lucia, crowned with candles and dressed in white will lead her procession of attendants each carrying a candle (tärnor), starboys (stjärngossar), gingerbread boys (pepparkaksgubbar) and elves (tomtenissar).
After the program join the traditional dancing around the Christmas tree while enjoying a Swedish Julbord, with dishes shared by members and others coming to the Lucia Celebration. Have your children visit with Santa! If you can, please bring a dish to share.
Fox Point Lutheran Church (ELCA) is a new location for the Lucia celebration, located at
7510 N Santa Monica Blvd Fox Point, WI 53217.
Some more history – The Santa Lucia song
The Lucia Program starts and end with Santa Lucia song. “Santa Lucia” is a traditional Neapolitan song that originated 1835 in Naples, Italy, composed by A. Longo. It was translated into Italian by Teodoro Cottrau in 1849 and published by the Cottrau firm as a barcarola (a barcarola is a traditional folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers). Cottrau translated it from Neapolitan into Italian during the first stage of the Italian unification, the first Neapolitan song to be given Italian lyrics. The original Neapolitan lyrics celebrate the picturesque waterfront district of Borgo Santa Lucia in the Gulf of Naples. In the song, a boatman invites someone to take a turn in his boat to better enjoy the cool evening breeze. The song beautifully captures the charm of the coastal area and the joy of a leisurely boat ride under the moonlight.
The Santa Lucia song became popular in many countries and were given various lyrics, in Sweden (Natten går tunga fjät) and the rest of the Nordic countries, in the United States, in Czech Republic, Austria, and Thailand. It has been recorded by many artists and here are here are a few versions on YouTube.
Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin 
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