Hey everyone!
How are you all doing? Did you enjoy the holidays?
As I have mentioned before, my December was pretty busy. As most of you know, I study Swedish at university. On the 13th of December, the Swedish department celebrated Saint-Lucia, a Christian feast in honour of Lucia, a martyr from the 3rd century. She is known for helping the Christians who were hiding in the catacombs by bringing them food. She worn a crown of candles to keep her hands free so she could carry more.
Nowadays, Saint-Lucia is celebrated in the Nordic countries and some parts of Italy. The celebration announces Christmas and the arrival of the Light of Christ. Choirs organise processions, through the city, or in schools, or in a church. The singers, mostly women, are wearing a white dress, with a red sash to represent Lucia's martyr blood. At the university, we celebrated Saint-Lucia by organising a little gathering. Everyone brought food, there was a little choir, which included me (!!), a quiz about Sweden, and great company!
As every year, I spent Christmas eve with my parents at home. We decorated our tree, wrapped the gifts for our family, and sang silly Christmas songs. The next day, my parents and I went to my aunt and uncle's new home for a big Christmas dinner with the whole family. It was very nice to have the whole family together again! Plus, the food was delicious! That evening, I started a puzzle with my parents, as we now do every year. The puzzle consisted of 4 paintings by Gustav Klimt. It took us two weeks to finish it even though we lost one piece - the vacuum cleaner probably stole it.
For New Year's Eve, I went to my best friend's to celebrate with her family. We just spent the evening eating, and watching TV. At Midnight, we did a little dance and gave each other gifts. I received a great pyjama and a pen holder (painted by my best friend herself).
2016 ended well for me, I hope it was the same for you! I wish you all the best for 2017! May all your dreams and wishes come true!
