Santa Lucia Festival

Since the University’s early years, the Swedish tradition of the Santa Lucia Festival has been a part of the CLU Christmas celebration. Santa Lucia was a Christian martyr who died at the stake on Dec. 13 in 304 A.D. Each year the CLU student community selects five women students to represent Santa Lucia and her attendants and five men students to be their escorts. The students are selected as those who represent the Christian attributes of faith, hope, charity, and compassion to humankind that Santa Lucia demonstrated. The dramatic ceremony includes the lighting of Santa Lucia’s crown of candles.

Admission is free. Limited parking is available in the Samuelson Chapel parking lot. Additional parking is available in the parking lots on Mountclef Boulevard north and south of Olsen Road. Street parking is by permit only Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Katey Wade, 2009 Santa Lucia
Photo by Erik Hagen '04