Saint Lucia Day
Description:
In the Czech Republic on this day, the village houses are visited by dressmen, the procession of which is led by girls dressed in the costume of St. Lucia. Some Lucia girls wear bird masks with a huge beak, others just sprinkle flour on their faces. This day is considered a women's holiday, and everywhere there is a strict ban on spinning. Lucia punishes unruly children who did not fast before Christmas, check the cleanliness and order in the house and how the hostess prepares for the upcoming holidays.
Lucia has reason to gossip and laugh. If the company gathers on this day, the boys bring with them two paired flowers - live or artificial. Flowers are distributed between boys and girls, and then throughout the evening they are exchanged. During the feast, during the dance, and, lastly, when the lights go out for a minute at the end of the party. When the lights are turned on, it turns out that the pairs are distributed in the most unexpected – and perhaps the most desirable – way.
And Lucia is guessed by the color of tangles or coils of thread. Take them out of the box or basket: green - marriage, red - child, white - funeral, yellow - wealth, blue - road.
And according to some beliefs on St. Lucia, witches knock down oil under bridges, dance at intersections and can “dance” the men and guys they find to death, walk in white blankets at night and with buckets in their hands, gather for Sabbaths, etc. This is one of the many legends that Czechs like to entertain guests.