Sankta Lucia Ceremony Held at CLU

The Sankta Lucia Christmas Festival was held on Dec. 11 in CLU's Samuelson Chapel. Senior Stine Odegard of Carson City, Nev., was selected to represent Sankta Lucia in the ceremony. She was escorted by senior Daniel Carlton of Ojai.

Sankta Lucia attendants were senior Christine Anderson, junior Becky Badertscher, sophomore Emily Moore and freshman Liz Heathcoat. Escorts for the ceremony were senior Tom Ham, junior Brian Weinberger, sophomore Domimic Storelli and freshman Jake Card.

The Swedish tradition of the Sankta Lucia Festival has been a part of CLU's Christmas celebration since the University's early years. Sankta Lucia, a Christian martyr who died at the stake on Dec. 13 in 304 A.D., is remembered in the Festival of Lights. Each year the CLU community selects five women to represent Sankta Lucia and her attendants and five men students to be their escorts.

The representatives were selected by CLU's student body as those who represent the Christian attributes demonstrated by Sankta Lucia – faith, hope, charity and compassion to humankind. The dramatic ceremony includes the lighting of Sankta Lucia's crown of candles and has been performed each year as a reminder of the true spirit of the holiday season.