When December comes, Bergamo is colored with festivity: here Christmas comes early!
In fact, December 13 is the feast day dedicated to St. Lucy-a regular and much-awaited event for children.
St. Lucy is the patron saint of blind people, electricians and ophthalmologists, she is the saint of light but do you know her real story? We are in the 4th century A.D., at the time of the persecution of Christians, and Lucy, a young girl from Syracuse, was killed because she confessed to being a Christian and did not renounce her faith. It is said that the young girl had her eyes removed before she was killed.
There is a second legend about the myth of the most beloved saint for children: it seems that the young Lucia made a boy fall in love with her who, dazzled by the beauty of her eyes, asked her for them as a gift. She agreed but a miracle happened and her eyes grew back even more beautiful than before: the boy asked for these as a gift as well but Lucia refused and was killed.
But why is Saint Lucia a magical day? Because aboard her cart pulled by her faithful donkey, the Saint brings gifts and treats to children in the night.
The children are no longer excited: the excitement of anticipation, the anxiety about choosing the right gift to ask for mixed with the fear that the saint will not bring the right gifts.
To receive gifts, there are two requirements: having behaved well during the year and sending the letter by December 12. The letter is the most famous tradition! On the envelope should be marked the address, whether it is Heaven or Heaven Street. And after the obligatory “Dear Santa Lucia,” you write the list of desired gifts and explain to Santa Lucia that you deserve them by saying you have been good throughout the year. For children who have behaved badly, the only gift will be coal.
The little letter has to be “mailed” in the first days of December. In central Bergamo, children flock to the church dedicated to the saint near the Sentierone at the beginning of Via XX Settembre. On weekends leading up to the feast, long lines of children deposit their little letter in the basket in front of the statue of the Saint.
On the night of December 12-13, the ritual has the children going to bed very early and looking forward to the next morning. Before going to bed, in the living room or on the window sills they prepare a small thanksgiving, coffee, milk and cookies for the Saint and water, carrots and hay for her little donkey.
It is important to sleep fast, and woe betide anyone who enters the room in her presence, or else St. Lucy will return without leaving gifts or, worse, will throw ashes into the eyes of the impatient child and thus make him blind.
The next morning, the children get up at the crack of dawn and find the presents along with a multitude of sweets: candies, chocolate coins, lollipops, sugar bracelets, sugar fantasies, marshmallow skewers and the inevitable cri-cri, a chocolate-covered hazelnut heart and small sugar balls. Brats will also undoubtedly find some cute sugar charcoal.
In the days leading up to the event, the city glows. Stalls and merry-go-rounds enliven the city center in an atmosphere of pure Christmas magic. Under the Torre dei Caduti, the Santa Lucia carousel is set up: with its horses and the melody of the carillon. It is a unique thrill for the little ones and the whole family. The traditional stalls that enliven the Sentierone spread a sweet air, with the taste of cotton candy and pancakes. A wander around is a must; you will find toys, wonderful handicrafts and many delicacies, especially sweets of all shapes and tastes!
