Saturday, October 23, 2010

Lucia Card for PTI Blog Hop



Inside

In Sweden Lucia is celebrated on the 13th of December and I thought this would make a nice card for this Blog Hop at Papertrey Ink and introduce this holiday to those of you who perhaps haven't heard about it before.

For this card I've used:
Stamps: PTI Wonderful Whimsical, Signature Christmas + Lucia (Panduro)
Ink: PTI Snow White, Dark Chocolate, Tea dye Cham
PTI Bitty Dotts Basics 2008
Baker's Twine, White Organza

St Lucia was a young girl who was martyred, killed for her faith, in 304AD. The most common story told about St Lucia is that she would secretly bring food to the persecuted men in Rome, who lived in hiding in the catacombs under the city. She would wear candles on her head so she had both her hands free to carry things.

St. Lucia's Day is celebrated by a girl dressing in a white dress with a red sash round her waist and a crown of candles on her head. The crown is made of Lingonberry branches which are evergreen and symbolise new life in winter. She goes from house to house early on Lucia morning serving coffee and Lusskatter (buns flavoured with saffron and dotted with raisins) while singing a beautiful Lucia song. (see link below) Schools normally have their own St. Lucias and towns and villages also choose a girl to play St. Lucia in a procession where carols are sung.

A national Lucia is also chosen. (see pic of last year's lucia below) Lucias also visit hospitals and old people's homes singing a song about St Lucia and handing out 'Pepparkakor', ginger snap biscuits.



Recipe for Lucia Buns (Lussekatter)

1 stick butter (8 Tbsp.)
1 1/3 c. milk
pinch saffron
3 Tbsp. yeast
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs (1 in dough, 1 to brush)
4 c. flour
raisins for garnish

Directions:

Melt butter in a small pan over low heat. Add milk and saffron and heat until about body temperature.
Mix milk mixture and yeast and let sit about five minutes. The yeast will dissolve and start to foam. Add the sugar, salt, one egg, and about half the flour. Knead the dough on a floured surface, adding flour to make a smooth dough. Let rise in a warm place about half an hour. Punch down, and then form into buns. One traditional shape is to make a rope of dough about six inches long (about 15 cm) and then form it into an S. Lay it on a parchment-lined baking sheet and tuck raisins into the curls of the S. Let rise again in a warm place, about half an hour. Brush the risen buns with beaten egg. Bake at 400 degrees F (225 C) about 15 min., until buns are golden brown.

Link to a video with the Lucia song: 

34 comments:

Barbara DeBose said...

OH WOW! Look at that stamp! I LOVE IT. Your coloring is beautiful!!!!

Susan said...

How adorable!! I love the whimsical houses on the bottom. Such a creative touch!!

Keva said...

Wow..yeah, I have never heard of this. What a brave little girl she was for sure! I really like the card..very nice coloring and that recipe must be made soon. Cool.

Dana said...

Oh wow. I was obsessed, OBSESSED with the celebration of Lucia when I was a girl. I wanted to move to Sweden and be able to wear the candles on my head so badly. One year I dressed up in a white robe with a rope belt and made a paper candle wreath for my head for my Halloween costume! Nobody understood, but I was happy anyway.
Such a lovely card. I really am impressed with your coloring of that wonderful stamp and the way you added the PTI whimsical houses along the bottom. Just superb.

Sue Lelli said...

What a LOVELY blog post! I have never heard about that celebration but it was GREAT to learn about it! LOVE your card! The image and the twine are FAB!

Om oss said...

Hej Karin,
vilket superfint kort du har gjort, gillar verkligen Luciatåget, är det en gammal pandurostämpel?? eller går den att få tag på.

Jen Carter said...

Love the coloring on the kraft cardstock! That looks super cute!

Traci Nachtrab said...

Very pretty! Love that recipe, too. I'll have to try it.

Unknown said...

Super cute! When I taught Kindergarten we did Christmas around the world and did St. Lucia!

Laura Isham said...

Thank you SO much for sharing! I LOVE this blog hop! I am learning so much. What a great way for PTI enthusiasts from all over the world to show off what they celebrate this time of year. Your card is just wonderful!

Adele Fowler said...

this is adorable!! so cute :)

Amy said...

Great card and thanks for the info and recipe! I love learning about all the different celebrations around the world!

Terri said...

Great job! Thanks for sharing more about this holiday and the recipe too.

Sara said...

Jättefint kort! Kul att hitta en till svensk blog. ´=) Jag bor för närvarande i USA men är på väg att flytta hem till sverige om ett par månader. Alltid roligt att hitta andra som gillar PTI!

Kay D said...

This is absolutely adorable! I love those whimsical houses paired with the sweet little children- just perfect!

Carol's Ink Spot said...

Super card! Love the little children paired with the PTI stamp set. This is a fabulous blog with all the sharing of traditions around the world. Thanks for the recipe also.

Babies-Beth said...

Well, your card is great but golly, I want your buns! lol, not like that, you know what I mean!!!

Paula Laird said...

Awesomeness plus a recipe? That is way cool! Thanks for sharing!

Kelly S. said...

Oh that card is just the most adorable thing! I love the little row of children and your coloring is fanastic! Love how you created a little snowy village at the bottom! EXCELLENT blog hop card! Thanks for giving us such a lesson on St. Lucia's Day!

Mariah said...

Beautiful coloring job and I love the way the in and out coordinate!

Christi said...

my husband is Swedish - I'm going to try making your Lussekatter recipe on December 13. Your card is beautiful too!

Cammie said...

Thank you for sharing this holiday tradition and the extraordinary card. It is just the sweetest and makes me happy.

Lea L. said...

Your card is beautiful, and I loved the information on this tradition. It is one that I wasn't familiar with, and find it very interesting!! Great job with the PTI Blog Hop challenge! ♥♥♥

Kara said...

beautiful card!! thanks so much for all of the information!!

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing with us this holiday, its fascinating!! and the card is really pretty!

TDJ said...

Lovely card. The rolls look yummy.

DF said...

What a neat card! I really like it; the colours, the layout, the smaller stamp images made into a story. It's so different from anything I've ever seen - great job!

Terri Trotter Earley said...

how loveley. Love the bakers twine. Great job with the PTI challenge.

It's a good life!
Terri E.

Lee Anne said...

This is a wonderful post! I loved reading about the holiday and that stamp is adorable!

pattylt said...

Such a darling card and thank you for the story of Lucia. I love learning about other cultural holidays. Your card is perfect!

Kristii said...

Way cute!!!! Totally loved reading about the holiday!!!

Om oss said...

Thank you Karin, that was very nice of you!

CHINI said...

Lucia was a young girl who was killed for her faith, in 304AD
PVC cards

CHINI said...

Thank you for sharing with us this holiday, its charm! and the card is really beautiful!

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