Santa Lucia

Santa Lucia is the patron saint of Syracuse, Sicilia, where she was born. On the 13th of December, her feast day is celebrated. It is celebrated in many countries such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Hungary, Malta, Bosnia, Bavaria, Croatia, Slovakia, Spain, and of course, Italy. She is a popular saint particularly with children throughout Italy, particularly Trentino, East Lombardy, parts of Veneto such as Verona, parts of Emilia-Romagna such as Piacenza, Parma, and Reggio Emilia. Tradition tells that she arrives with her donkey and an escort, Castaldo, to bring gifts to good children and coal to bad children, on the night between 12th and 13th December. As children in the western world leave out milk and cookies for Santa Claus, Italian children leave coffee for Lucia, a carrot for the donkey, and a glass of wine for Castaldo. It is forbidden to watch Santa Lucia delivering the gifts, and if one was to do so, legend has it that she would throw ashes in your eyes, blinding you temporarily. With a name derived from Lux, Lucis meaning 'light', she became the patron saint of the blind.

It is not exactly clear as to what the story of Santa Lucia is, but many believe that she was a Sicilian saint who was martyred in Syracus, Sicilia, around 310AD. The Guilte Legend, a Middle Age compendium of saints' biographies says she went to the shrine of Saint Agatha, patron saint of Catania, to find help for her ailing mother, Eutychia, when an angel appeared to her in a dream. Because of this, Lucia became a devout Christian and refused to compromise her virginity in marriage to a non-Christian. Her fiance denounced her to the Roman authorities, who then threatened to give her to a brothel if she did not denounce Christianity. However, when she refused, myth has it that they were not able to move her, not even with a thousand men and fifty oxen. So they stacked firewood around her and set it alight, but she would not stop speaking about her beliefs. One of the soldiers speared her throat, but she kept talking. 

Though lacking evidence, some stories go on to say that, unable to move or burn Santa Lucia, the guards then took out her eyes, others saying she tore out her own eyes and gave them to her ex-fiance who had admired them. In medieval accounts, her eyes were removed before her execution; and in art they sometimes appear on a tray that she is holding. Some end her story with God's restoration of her eyes, others with her death.

Another legend has Santa Lucia working against the Roman Emperor Diocletian to hide Christians in the catacombs; and in order to bring as many supplies with her as possible, she made available both her hands by attaching candles to a wreath on her head.

In Sicilia, the Catholic feast day of Santa Lucia is celebrated with feasts of pasta and a special dessert of wheat and sugar named cuccìa; the large grains of soft wheat representative of her eyes, and only eaten once a year. The dish commemorates the unexpected arrival of wheat to Palermo's port on Santa Lucia's Feast Day in 1646, at the end of a Sicilian food shortage. Tradition does not allow bread to be eaten on 13th December, and it is to be the cuccìa which is the main wheat source for the day.

San Francesco d'Assisi

On 18th June 1939, San Francesco d'Assisi, Saint Francis of Assisi was named the Patron Saint of Italy, alongside Saint Catherine of Siena. For many years, today, the 4th of October, would have been a national holiday held in honour of San Francesco d'Assisi, but times have changed and unfortunately for the Italians, they no longer get the day off.

San Francesco d'Assisi wrote this poem in 1224, and it is one of the first poems to have ever been written in an Italian dialect, Umbrian, as opposed to Latin.

Cantico di Frate Sole

Altissimu, onnipotente, bon Signore,

tue so’ le laude, la gloria et l’honore et onne benedictione.

Ad te solo, Altissimo, se konfano,

et nullu homo ène dignu te mentovare.

Laudato sie, mi’ Signore, cum tucte le tue creature,

spetialmente messor lo frate sole,

lo qual’è jorno, et allumini noi per lui.

Et ellu è bellu et radiante cum grande splendore:

de te, Altissimo, porta significatione.

Laudato si’, mi’ Signore, per sora luna e le stelle:

in celu l’ài formate clarite et pretiose et belle.

Laudato si’, mi’ Signore, per frate vento

et per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo,

per lo quale a le tue creature dài sustentamento.

Laudato si’, mi’ Signore, per sor’aqua,

la quale è multo utile et humile et pretiosa et casta.

Laudato si’, mi’ Signore, per frate focu,

per lo quale ennallumini la nocte:

et ello è bello et iocundo et robustoso et forte.

Laudato si’, mi’ Signore, per sora nostra matre terra,

la quale ne sustenta et governa,

et produce diversi fructi con coloriti flori et herba.

Laudato si’, mi’ Signore, per quelli ke perdonano per lo tuo amore

et sostengo infirmate et tribulatione.

Beati quelli ke ‘l sosterrano in pace,

ka da te, Altissimo, sirano incoronati.

Laudato si’, mi’ Signore, per sora nostra morte corporale,

da la quale nullu homo vivente pò skappare:

guai a quelli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali;

beati quelli ke trovarà ne le tue sanctissime voluntati,

ka la morte secunda no ‘l farrà male.

Laudate e benedicete mi’ Signore et rengratiate

e serviateli cum grande humilitate.

Canticle of the Brother Sun

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord,

all praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing.

To you, alone, Most High, do they belong.

No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.

Be praised, my Lord, for all your creatures,

especially for my lord brother sun,

who brings the day; and you give light through him.

And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor:

of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, for sister moon and the stars:

in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, for brother wind

and for air, and clouds, and clear skies, and all weather,

through which you give your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, My Lord, for sister water,

she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, for brother fire,

through whom you brighten the night:

he is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, for our sister mother earth,

who feeds us and sustains us,

and produces various fruits with colorful flowers, and grass.

Be praised, my Lord, for those who forgive for love of you,

and who endure sickness and affliction.

Happy those who endure all of this in peace,

for by you, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, for our sister bodily death,

from whose embrace no living person can escape.

Woe to those who die in mortal sin!

Happy those she finds doing your most holy will,

for the second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,

and serve him with great humility.

Admonition 27

Dov'è c'è carità e sapienza,
non c'è né paura né ignoranza.
Dov'è c'è pazienza ed umiltà,
non c'è né collera né oppressione.
Dov'è c'è povertà e gioia,
non c'è né avidità né avarizia.
Dov'è c'è pace e meditazione,
non c'è né ansietà né dubbio.

- San Francesco d'Assisi

Where there is charity and wisdom,
there is neither fear nor ignorance.
Where there is patience and humility,
there is neither anger nor vexation.
Where there is poverty and joy,
there is neither greed nor avarice.
Where there is peace and meditation,
there is neither anxiety nor doubt.

- Saint Francis of Assisi

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Signore, fammi strumento di tua pace.
Dove c'è odio fa che io porti l'amor,
Dov'è offesa, perdono,
Dov'è dubbio, fede,
Dov'è disperazione, speranza,
Dov'è buio, luce,
Dov'è tristezza, gioia.
O Maestro Divino concedimi che io non cerchi
tanto di essere consolato quanto consolare,
non tanto di essere compreso, ma di comprendere,
non tanto di essere amato, quanto d'amare;
perchè è nel dare che riceviamo
è nel perdonare che siamo perdonati,
è nel morire che ci svegliamo a vita eterna.

- San Francesco d'Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood but to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.

- Saint Francis of Assisi