December 7 and 8, 2012
Bishop Hill invites you to join in the Lucia Nights celebration on Friday and Saturday from 5:30 pm until 9:00 pm. The name Lucia is derived from the Latin word for light. This Swedish tradition is based on a legend of a Sicilian martyr, Saint Lucia, Queen of Light. During a famine in Sweden, on the longest and darkest night of the year, Lucia appeared wearing a long white robe and encircling her head was a crown of candles. Legend has it that Lucia appeared on a ship laden with food. When the ship was unloaded both it and Lucia vanished. Lucia is a much loved saint in Sweden. Girls today wake their families on December 13th, dressed in a white robe and wearing a crown of candles carrying a tray of Lucia buns.
Activities begin in Bishop Hill on Friday at 5:30 pm with the lighting of the park Christmas tree. This event also includes poetry and holiday singing. Special music will be performed at various village locations. Each business and museum will be open until 9:00 pm and will have a Lucia girl serving cookies. Around the village, each building will have a single candle in each window, and sidewalks will be illuminated by luminaries.
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