An atmospheric, candlelit procession and carol service for all the family, based on the traditional Swedish Lucia celebration.
Sankta Lucia: Festival of Light comes to York Minster on Monday 14 December, a candlelit procession and carol service for the whole family. It's based on the traditional Swedish Lucia celebration, one of the most significant dates of the Swedish calendar and a key part of the Advent season.
The service centres on the story of Saint Lucy, a young Sicilian girl who died a martyr's death in the early fourth century. Tradition has it that she became a devout Christian after being visited by an angel and resisted the power of a thousand men and fifty oxen who tried to drag her away. Her story reached Sweden along with Christianity, and she remained popular even after the Reformation as the bringer of light during the long winter darkness.
During the service, the choir processes through the Nave singing the traditional Lucia song, the singers dressed in white gowns and carrying candles, with Lucia herself at the front wearing a crown of candles and a red ribbon around her waist. The York Anglo-Scandinavian Society has staged the celebration for several years in Bedern Hall, but this is its first time at the Minster.
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It starts at 7:00 pm, with doors open from 6:15 pm and ticket holders asked to be seated by 6:45 pm. Entry is free, but you'll need to pre-book tickets, which go on sale from 10:00 am on Tuesday 1 December by calling 01904 557200. A small number of seats may remain for those without pre-booked tickets, admitted on a space-available basis. The venue is York Minster, Deangate, York, YO1 7HH.
