Once everyone is dressed they are taken to a room that is lighted with many candles for a breakfast feast. Even the domestic animals were not forgotten on this day given extra portions of food. It was customary to hunt and fish on this feast day by torchlight. In Gotland Lucia went round the village proceeded by torchbearers. Everything was brilliantly illuminated. So Lights indeed were are the special mark for this festival lighting the way into the Yule season.

What is the explanation for the importance of Lucia's day in Scandinavia? After all St Lucy lived in Sicily 300 years after the birth of Christ. The legend goes that even though most of the world had not converted to Christianity and were still Pagans, Lucy's parents were both Christians and wealthy. Lucy's father died when she was a baby. Her mother raised Lucy to be a devout Christian and Lucy made a secret vow to dedicate her entire life to Christ.

A rich young man wanted to marry Lucy and her mother was adamant that she would do so. Lucy then told her mother of the earlier vow she made to Christ and her mother agreed she should keep her vow. Lucy was very happy but the rich young man was not. He wanted a way to punish Lucy so he told the Pagan leader of their country she was a Christian which was against the law. Soldiers came to take Lucy away but they were unable to move her so they tried to set her on fire. She would not burn. Finally they were able to move her and placed her in prison where the conditions were so deplorable she died there.

What accounts for popular "Feast of Lights"? There is nothing in the legend of Lucia to account for it although her name does mean light. It is possible that Latin-learned monks on missionary travels throughout Scandinavia used her name with special use of lights on certain feast days and it spread to the common people. Another explanation of St Lucia's day being celebrate in Scandinavia is that according to the old ways Lucia's day was celebrated on the shortest day of the year.

In certain Germanic countries such as Lower Austria St Lucia's Eve is a time of special danger from evil spirits. A procession is made through each house to place incense and offer prayer . On this evening too girls are afraid to spin lest they find their distaff's twisted, the threads broken and the yarn tangled. At midnight girls practice the ceremony or cutting away the bark of a tree without detaching it, make with knife a cross on the inner side of the cut bark. Moisten it with water and carefully closes up the opening. On new year's day the cutting is opened and the future is foretold by the markings. In Denmark on Saint Lucia's Eve is a time for seeing into the future . Maids pray : Sweet Saint Lucy let me know: whose cloth I shall lay. whose bed I shall make, whose child I shall bear, whose darling shall I be, whose arms shall I sleep in.