The modern day celebration of Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy’s Day) on December 13 is generally associated with Sweden and Norway, but is also observed in some parts of Italy, where it is actually a very ancient tradition that dates back to 1337.

The feast is a Catholic celebrated holiday with roots that can be traced back to Sicily. St. Lucia is the patron saint of the city of Syracuse. She is also the patron saint of a great number of other comunes in Italy: Piedmont, Campania, Marche, Sardinia, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Liguria, Abruzzo, Veneto, Lombardia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Calabria, Molise, Fruili Venezia Giulia and Tuscany.