St. Lucy was a 3rd-century martyr who was born to noble parents. At an early age Lucy dedicated her virginity to Christ, but her mother was not aware of it and arranged to have her married.
Lucy refused to marry on account of her private vow and the man she was supposed to marry turned her in for the crime of being a Christian. This led to a gruesome martyrdom, during which her eyes were gouged out prior to being killed.
She died in Sicily, but her fame soon spread throughout Europe. When Christian missionaries reached Scandinavia they brought the story of St. Lucy with them and her life and death fascinated the local population.
They began to invoke her protection and she reportedly appeared to them on multiple occassions.
St. Lucy in Sweden
Alicia Ambrosio provides the following story of St. Lucy's first appearance in an article for Aleteia:
There is a story told that during the Middle Ages a famine hit southern Sweden. During this famine, on the darkest night of the year (the winter solstice), a ship sailed into Lake Vannern with a lady standing at the helm, surrounded by an “unearthly light" -- St. Lucy. Once in port, the saint distributed bags of wheat that lasted all winter long.
It wasn't the last appearance, as she returned when Christians were persecuted:
It is also told that Lucy used to bring food to persecuted Christians. To free her hands in order to carry more supplies, she placed a wreath of candles on her head to light her way.
In many ways these stories helped shape the popular tradition that is practiced in Sweden where the oldest daughter in the family wears a white dress and red sash with a crown of candles on top of her head. She wakes the family on December 13 and serves them various sweets.
This tradition recalls these legendary apparitions and portrays St. Lucy as a powerful heavenly intercessor, providing food for those in need.
