Gustavus celebrates the 74th annual Festival of St. Lucia on Thursday, Dec. 11 with six sophomore women who have been nominated and voted onto the court by their peers. The six women include Sarah Barnes, Rachel Hain, Janet Jennings, Kendyl Landeck, Sharon Singh, and Lauren Swenson.

Each year, Sophomore women are requested to submit nominations for other sophomore women that uphold qualities and characteristics including courageous leadership, compassion, service to others, and strength of character. Out of about seventy nominations, these six were voted to serve on the St. Lucia Court.

The Advisor to the Guild of St. Lucia Barb Larson Taylor explains why sophomore women are specifically sought out to represent St. Lucia.

“Selecting sophomores means that the campus can honor younger Gusties who are already making a difference on campus,” Taylor said.

There are many traditions for the festival that started in Sweden. These traditions have been carried out and adapted by Gustavus as part of the school’s Swedish heritage. Lucia Festival, or the Festival of Lights, began when a saint was martyred in the fourth century.

“According to Swedish legend, a ship carrying a maiden ‘clothed in white and crowned with light’ appeared during a great famine. The maiden, believed to be Lucia, distributed food and clothing to the needy. It is a special part of their holiday season focused on bringing light to the darkness, both literally, since this is a dark time of year in Sweden, and figuratively,” Taylor said.

Sophomore Laura Swenson talked about how she was voted on the court. Each woman is “ambushed” by members of the Guild of St. Lucia, senior women who help plan the festival.

“There were ten women that came up to me and they were holding a rose and gave it to me saying that I was on the court,” Swenson said.

Many events take place during the festival. The festival starts out early in the morning, with the Lucia court making its way through all of the dorms.

“The Festival starts at 5 a.m. with the St. Lucia Court caroling through the residence halls. Some students set out treats or open their doors to greet the Court. Others enjoy the singing from bed, some sleep through it and a few are less thrilled about being woken up and are happy that this only happens once a year,” Taylor said.

The Lucia Service is during Daily Sabbath on Dec. 11. One of the women on the court will be chosen as St. Lucia for this year who will then wear the crown with real candles. The previous St. Lucia will participate in the festival by providing the homily for the service.

After the service, a Scandinavian Smörgåsbord luncheon will take place in Alumni Hall. Tickets for the luncheon are being sold for $25.

Sophomore Rachel Hain is another member on the St. Lucia Court.

“We all have leadership positions on campus. The people that are nominated are positive people and role models on campus. We have a lot of people that do different things on this campus, from Greeters, to CFs, to other leadership positions,” Hain said.

Besides representing different clubs and groups on campus, the St. Lucia Court brings positivity to Gustavus daily.

“The Court has leadership qualities that aren’t based on what they are involved in, but how they act on a day-to-day basis,” Swenson said.

The St. Lucia court does not fit into one stereotypical Gustavus student. The six students all embody the characteristics of St. Lucia, but do so in different ways.

“All aspects of Gustavus are represented, which makes it special,” Hain said.

St. Lucia has a long history that has recognized thousands of outstanding women at Gustavus. 

“Gustavus started celebrating St. Lucia in 1941. This means that virtually all 26,000 living alumni have experienced this Gustavus tradition. There are very few traditions at Gustavus that have such a long and continual history,” Taylor said.

Voting for the St. Lucia takes place between December 1-5. All students and employees are encouraged to vote for this year’s St. Lucia.

-Laura Isdahl