think, you have something similar in Sweden, right? St. Lucia? Something about a Lady with lights on her head.
Yes we do. We celebrate it in remembrance of an old Cristian legend. I think it started differently (like most Swedish traditions) but it ended up being about a girl who were cristian who were supposed to be married to some dude she didn't know. He didn't like her so he accused her of blasphermy (I'd be supprized if I spelled that correctly), or christiannity was illegal in these times, anyway, they tried to burn her on a stick, but god protected her from the flames (and thrughs) so she didn't burn, and the thrugs couldn't harm her, and after that everyone turned christian, and so on (not shure of the exact facts, but it's supposed to have happened something like this).
We celebrate it by having a girl (prefered blond and beutifull, because Lucia is believed to be blond, and an ugly saint?) dressed up in a white dress and with a crown of candles on her head. There is only one of her. She has some other girls allso dressed in white but only carrying one candle. We allso have some boys dressed in a white dress (...) carrying a stick with a golden star on the top, and a cone with stars on their heads. And what they do is sing. They sing songs espessially for this occation (Lucia songs), and since it's celebrated on December the 13:th, they allso sing some christmass songs. They get nothing for it.
Übereil (MUAHAHAHAHA, OUR TRADITIONS IS BETTER THAN YOURS <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" />. Sorry for that)
PS If you whant a Swedish tradition a bit equal to the haloween thing, and St Martins day thing, we have our whay to celebrate easter (allso related in old believs). We (or to be honest, the smaller kids, I haven't done tit for ten years) dress up like witches and warlocks (or old pepole in the 18:th sencury, I mean, what's the difference), and goes around offering letters (basicly we draw something like a chicken on a piece of paper, writes (or older pepole who can write) happy easter on them and fold them together. Easter letters, we call them, since we're so extremely original), and get sweets. If we hand them the letter that is. So we have to do some work in order to get our sweets. I find that better than the american styled "Gimme sweets if you don't whant to clean your garden", but that's just me. And I'm being partical, since I'm brought up with it. That's the way it's meant to be. Tis might not be the only reason, but it's a major reason. On easter the kids write "letters", dress up like witches and warlocks (or old pepole in the 18:th sencury...), goes out, knocks on doors, gives letters and gets sweets. That's what I did when I was a kid. That's what kids do on easter, here in Sweden. We're not pissed of because we have to give sweets to pepole (ok, kids) we don't know, we're happy to do it, because it reminds us of our childhood, what we did when we were kids. When I'm older, and kids don't do what I did when I was a kid, at least I know that they will do this on easter. Just like I did. DS
