«If during the time that passes from St. Lucia's Day to Christmas Eve, from nine trees — linden, birch, hazel, willow, alder, beech, spruce, thorn, maple — make a chair, working little by little every day, and take it secretly in the morning, and sit on it, — you will see what is hidden from others: women who bend their knees, turning their backs to the altar. These are witches...».
On December 13, Catholics celebrate the Day of St. Lucia (St. Lucia's Day, Saint Lucy's Day), a martyr from the time of Diocletian (3rd century).
The name Lucia comes from the Latin word «lux» — «light». There is a saying associated with the holiday in her honor: «With Saint Lucia, nights decrease». It appeared back in the era of the Julian calendar, according to which December 13 was the winter solstice. After the Gregorian Reform of 1582, the shortest day of the year fell on 21 December. After this, folk wisdom ceased to correspond to reality, which was reflected in the addition to the saying: «Nights decrease with Saint Lucia, but days do not become longer».
According to legend, Saint Lucia had beautiful eyes with which she charmed a certain young man, and so that he would not fall into temptation, she gouged out her eyes and sent them to him on a plate. Thanks to this legend, in Romanesque and Germanic countries, Saint Lucia was considered the patroness of light and the healer of eye diseases.
However, in the rituals and beliefs of many countries, the memory of the «wedish» day itself — day of St. Lucia has been preserved. According to some beliefs about Saint Lucia, witches knock down oil under bridges, dance at intersections and can «dance» men and boys they come across to death, walk at night in white bedspreads and with buckets in their hands, and gather for sabbaths.
Accordingly, various measures were taken to protect people and their environment from witches. For example, like all evil spirits, witches were driven out of the village by noise, whistling, knocking, ringing bells, shots, and slamming a scourge. Garlic was used to protect against harmful witch effects: they ate it themselves and gave it to the cattle to eat, and also rubbed their foreheads, hands and feet with it, smeared it with the juice of the wall of the barns and painted the crosses over the entrance to the barn and house with garlic or tar.
Various prohibitions were also used as amulets. For example, it was forbidden to spin and sew on Lucia (otherwise, according to legend, fingers would curl, work would deteriorate all the time, chickens would stop laying; and nursing women who violated the ban, according to popular belief, would have their breasts inflamed), wash, bake bread, work on horses, break or break something.
Twelve days from St. Lucia's Day to Christmas, like the time of the presence of certain supernatural beings next to people, when the border between the world of people and «th light» seemed to be thinning, were perfectly suited for fortune telling. They wondered about the weather, about the future harvest, about fate, about marriage... Fortune telling is different among all nations.