So I wanted to take these next three weeks and bless you with Holiday Figures from around the world. Not everyone believes in Santa Clause and that is not because they are non believers, but it's because they believe in far scarier things then a jolly cherub who loves all children and gives them gifts if they are good and warmth giving coal if they are bad...I mean if you are a cold kid, you might as well invest in a coal burning stove and then live it up all year long.
This week we are going to learn about...Bum Ba Ba BUM...
SAINT LUCIA!!!
One of the girls at my work is from Northern Italy and she had the audacity to tell me that Santa Clause is ridiculous and only a fool would believe in him. I then asked her who she believed in and she introduced me to Santa Lucia...A lovely woman who gouged out her eyes so that no man would see them and fall in love with their beauty. Also, she creeps into your room on the night of the 13th of December and leaves you small gifts. Also, she keeps her eyes on a plate, like in this picture here:
Or, I guess sometimes she grows them on a plant, like this picture here:
Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good crazy religion, Heaven (literally) knows, but if I'm laying in my bed one December night and two eyes come slowly up outside my second story window...I'm not real in to whatever gift those eyes on a plate are giving me.
But the girl at my work was. She said, every year should would pray to Saint Lucia and say, 'Please come to my house and please leave me presents, but please do not let me see your eyeless face.' Which is not entirely correct as Saint Lucia does get her eyes...or, I guess another set of them when she is martyred because she wouldn't give an offering to the Roman Emperor...cause she had give all she had to God, and so they said she would be the offering and they went to drag her from her mothers house and they could not move her, even after hooking her up to some Oxen. So they called a guy and had him come to the house and burn her...but she wouldn't burn and so they stabbed her...which, I guess took. I mean, I could be wrong, but when you done lit someone on fire and they give you that, "really?"look, don't you quietly douce the flames and slowly back out the door?! I mean, OXEN couldn't budge this lady and your gonna just stab her?! I'm sure it was a surprise to everyone when that worked.
Anyway, now she travels all night long and you are suppose to put food and water in the corner of your room for her and then some more water and straw for her donkey and then get yourself to bed...uh, cause she's a comin'! and everyone knows that if you are a wake when she comes she won't leave you presents...and she has no eyes!
I hope you learned something here, and we hope you learn something new everyday here at Part Time Authors, a multicultural melding pot of fascinating facts!
Here are more pictures:
