Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Festival of St. Lucia

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey friends, for the best Get Sleepy experience, be sure to check out our supporters feed Get Sleepy Premium for our free listening weekly bonus episodes and access to our entire catalogue. Now, a quick word from our sponsors who make the free version of this show possible. Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. I'm your host, Thomas, and it is wonderful to have your company tonight. I'm so excited to read you tonight's story. Together we'll be traveling back in time to the year 1911, on December 13th. Our story takes place in a small town called Vastiena in the southeast of Sweden. The winter solstice, the coldest, darkest night of the year, is fast approaching. And on this day, across Scandinavia, people will be celebrating the feast of Saint Lucia.

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Starting point is 00:02:39 We would absolutely love you to help us get there. As a special thank you, we're releasing an extra bonus episode on Get Sleepy Premium each week of the drive and for another two weeks beyond. Meaning you'll have four new episodes to enjoy each week. To find out more, including how you can gift a subscription for Christmas or any other occasion you're celebrating, go to getsleepy.com slash support or follow the link in the show notes. Now, as you settle into the comfort and coziness of your bed, get nicely snuggled under your covers. You can imagine yourself as a little animal getting settled in for a long winter's

Starting point is 00:03:39 hibernation. This is your time to rest and re-energise. So let go of any lingering sense you may have of needing to do anything, to fix anything, or quite frankly to think about anything at all. Nobody else expects you to sort anything or to problem-solve while you're sleeping. So if you're subconsciously sensing that pressure on yourself, yourself. Let it go. Take a nice deep breath I am. And as you exhale, say, calm, I am calm. By repeating and affirming simple phrases like this, your body and mind will follow. So close your eyes if they're still open. And just follow the sound of my voice as I take you to this small Swedish village at the turn of the 20th century and in the very depths of winter. On the morning of December 13th, Astrid woke up easily, even though it was still as black

Starting point is 00:06:15 as midnight through the frosted pain of her bedroom window. She climbed out of bed, smoothed the warm, feather-stuffed idler down, back over her mattress, and pulled a pair of warm, woolen slippers with a sheepskin lining onto her bare feet. She took a deep sniff of the air. It was warm with the scent of saffron, raisins, baking dough and brewing coffee. Astrid crapped down the stairs, careful to avoid the step that creaked so she wouldn't wake her grandma or her sister and went down to the kitchen. Her mama was already awake.

Starting point is 00:07:21 As Astrid walked into the brightly painted kitchen, Mamar pulled out a tray of fresh lucicata or saffron buns, studded with plump raisins from the oven. The steam clouded the windows. nose. Papar was standing over the stove, brewing coffee. He always drank a cup of the thick, strong brew, before he went out to work at the Smithy, where he was a blacksmith. in a cradle in the corner, Astrid's baby brother, Neal's, was gently gurgling. A bundle of birch twigs was laid across the kitchen table, right next to the advent wreath. A paper Yulstar hung in the window. Christmas was just around the corner. Both Mama and Papa smiled when they saw Astrid come in. Today was a special day for all of Vastiana and for all of Sweden, but it was extra special for Astrid. Today Astrid had been chosen to play the part of Saint Lucia in the evening's Lucia parade.

Starting point is 00:09:11 Grandmar appeared in the kitchen doorway. She smiled at Astrid too and ruffled the girl's fair hair before she went to stand by the ceramic stove that stood in a corner of the kitchen and filled the room with its cozy warmth. Last down the stairs and into the kitchen was Linia, Astrid's younger sister. She emerged in the doorway with her hair still ruffled from sleep, clutching the red-painted wooden horse that was her favourite toy. Her eyes widened when she looked around the room and realized that everyone else in the family was already awake. The last person to wake up on St. Lucius Day was nicknamed Luce the Luce and was given a light playful slap with a bundle of birch twigs.

Starting point is 00:10:27 Lenea gigaled. She was Lucé the loose this morning. Mama was already reaching for the bundled birch twigs. With a laugh, Lania ran around the kitchen table until Ma'amar caught her, tapping her on the legs with the birch, before for the day's special breakfast. The Lucicata were buttery and golden. The lightly spicy taste of saffron danced on Astrid's tongue. She tore off a scrap of bun and fed it to little kneels. He was not quite one year old and today would be his very first Lucia Day. Ma had seen nearly 80 of them. And as she often told Astrid and Linnea, on her 13th Lucia day, she was chosen to lead the procession. Linnea finished her Safrom bun, and then wondered aloud why today was the day they celebrated St. Lucia.

Starting point is 00:12:10 Astrid had learned all about the holiday in school, so she explained it. St. Lucia was a young girl about the same age as Astrid was now, who lived in Syracusa, a city in Sicily, an Italian island in the far away bright blue of the Mediterranean Sea. She lived a long time ago, so long ago that there were no street lamps or even oil lamps, and certainly no electricity. In those days, in Italy, it was very dangerous to be a Christian. To avoid persecution, many devout men and women hid in the catacombs, a network of underground tunnels that ran beneath the streets of the city. They were safe there, though they often had very little to eat and drink. Lucia had a kind heart and she couldn't bear topped into the catacombs at night.

Starting point is 00:13:51 She needed to keep her hands free to share out the food so she couldn't carry a candle with her into the deep dark tunnels. Instead, she wore a wreath woven from fragrant laurel leaves atop her head. She fixed four candles into the wreath and the light from the candles illuminated her path. That was why Astrid finished. Every year on December 13th, all over Scandinavia, people remembered Lucius Goodness by holding a large procession in her honor. And every year, a young girl from the town was chosen to represent Lucia herself, leading the procession and wearing a crown of candles on her head.

Starting point is 00:15:10 Linia still wasn't satisfied. She wanted to know why Lucius Feast was celebrated today December 13th. Why not in the springtime? Why not in summer? Astrid couldn't help laughing. They couldn't possibly celebrate Lucius Day in summer. Summer was for the mid-Summer celebrations, when everyone picked Nick'd in the fields under the midnight sun and danced around the Maypole with flowers in their hair. But then she thought about it some more. She wasn't exactly sure why Lucius Feast was celebrated in deepest, darkest December. But grandma knew. In the old days grandma explained, these long December days were very trying for the people of Sweden. It was bitterly cold and on years when the harvest had been bad, food was sometimes scarce. Some superstitious folk even believed that on the days around midwinter, bad spirits roamed through the night.

Starting point is 00:16:43 That's why they needed light. Light scares away the bad spirits. Light brings comfort. Even in hungry years, a night of merry candlelit singing and dancing could distract the villagers from their rumbling stomachs. Soon, grandma told them the year would turn a corner. The dark cold nights would grow slowly less dark and less cold. But for these next few nights, darkness held Sweden tight in its grip. Which was why this was when they celebrated the feast of St. Lucia. Austria. Astrid had a very important job to do tonight, grandma finished. She had to bring chair and warmth to light up the darkest time of the year.

Starting point is 00:17:59 But before she did that, Mamma reminded all three of them she had to go to school. Astrid and Lania got dressed in their warmest clothes, then strapped heavy snow shoes to their feet and stepped outside into the winter morning. It was still dark, although the sky was gradually lightening to a pale grey colour. Astrid was glad to reach the Red Wooden Schoolhouse and step into its warmth. Today the school had a festive atmosphere. In her classroom the chalkboard was covered with serious things. Rules of grammar and the mathematical equation for calculating the perimeter of a triangle. But no one, not even her teacher, through Carlson, was bothered with anything like that.

Starting point is 00:19:29 Today was devoted entirely to the preparations for the evening's procession. Everyone was busy crafting their costumes. Astrid began to weave the crown she would wear on her head. She used branches from the Lingamberry tree that grew in the school yard. Lucy's wreath was always made from lingamberry branches, as the lingamberry was an evergreen tree which kept its leaves, even in the depths of winter. Its symbolized spring and hope and the coming of new life. As Astrid wove the wreath, her hands grew sticky with sap and the leaves she crushed between her fingers, let off a sharp green smell.

Starting point is 00:20:42 She couldn't help thinking of the spring days that would soon come, when the fields would be full of lambs learning to walk, and the forget-me-nots would burst into blossom. Around her, her classmates worked industriously at their costumes. The girls painted their candle holders. They would each walk in the procession too. Like Astrid, they would wear a white dress, but they would each carry a single candle, walking behind their Lucia. The boys were busy attaching paper stars to long, thin branches. They would be joining the procession dressed as star boys.

Starting point is 00:21:48 They would carry their stars and wear tall paper hats with stars printed on them. Outside the classroom, younger children were running around, dressed in their special costumes. Some of them were dressed as Tom Tannisa, Santa's elves. They wore red hats and pointed ears. In the middle of the day, the sun made a brief appearance, though it looked very different to the golden yellow sun that placed down on every midsummer's eve. It was silvery and shrouded with clouds. Its light was thin and offered little warmth, although it made the thick snow that covered the village glitter and sparkle. But by the time school was over, the sun had already sunk low in the sky.

Starting point is 00:23:08 It was completely dark by the time Astrid and Lanier arrived home. But the kitchen of their little cottage was warm and well lit. and well-lit. Mama and grandma had been baking all day. To remember the food that little Lucia brought to the people in the Sicilian catacombs, it was traditional to eat all kinds of delicious warming treats on feast day. Mamma looked up from the middle of a cloud of flour when the two sisters walked through the door. Her daughters arrived just in time. She needed a few extra hands to roll out the dough for the pepacarca, the crispy, spiced gingerbread biscuits that are always enjoyed after the procession. She handed Astrid are rolling pin and between them they rolled the delicious smelling dough into a thin even sheet that took up the whole of the kitchen table. It was Suleineas turn next. She was trusted with a star-shaped cookie cutter. She furrowed her brows in concentration

Starting point is 00:24:52 as she cut out cookie after cookie and placed them on a tray. With the cookies in the oven, linear was given a wooden spoon to stir the meatballs simmering in their creamy gravy sauce on the stove. Astrid and mamma meanwhile stretched out the dough to make the vieta crams. The dough had been rising all day in a warm corner of the kitchen. Now Astrid and Mamma pulled it out gently, stretching it with their fingers until it was a thin sheet. They worked steadily, brushing the dough with butter, dusting it with sugar, and sprinkling fragrant cinnamon and cardamom on top. They rolled the dough up and joined its ends together so it made a ring. Mama sliced neatly through the dough with her sharp knife, then twisted and pulled the

Starting point is 00:26:19 pastry away from the center so that it looked like an ornate crown. The ginger snaps were ready. They came out of the oven, and the pastry went in. Astrid It was clumply, buttery and delicious. Through the window, the sky was growing darker and darker. Now, it was velvety black. One by one, velvety black. One by one stars began to shine through the darkness, little silver pimprix in the night's heavy fabric. The clock on the wall read half past six. It was time to get ready. Niels, the baby, was wrapped up warmly in woolen clothes and sheepskin mittens and slippers.

Starting point is 00:27:46 Linnea pulled on her best wool coat and carried her pointed red hat in her hands. She was going to be one of Santa's face in the basin, scrubbed behind her ears with soap and brushed her hair until it shone. Carefully she pulled on the clean white gown that Mama had been sowing for weeks. She had never worn such a beautiful garment before. The dress buttoned up at the front with dozens of tiny pearly buttons. The hemms and the Sleaves were embroidered with white leaves and flowers. Mama helped her tie a crimson sash around her waist. The procession began at the schoolhouse and would wind its way through the narrow, cobblestone streets of the town until it finished at the town hall. The school classroom was crowded with children

Starting point is 00:29:17 fixing on their pointed ears or their hats decorated with paper stars. The girls in Astrid's class were all dressed in white, but Astrid was the only one who wore a red sash around her waist. The room was busy with movement and noisy with chatter. But when the clock struck seven, a hush fell over the waiting children. Through Carlson held up her hand. It was nearly time for the procession to begin. Astrid's stomach fluttered. She felt excited. After all, it was a great honor to be chosen

Starting point is 00:30:19 as Lucia. And she felt a little nervous too. She hoped her head wouldn't wobble under the weight of the wreath. She hoped she wouldn't stumble on the icy cobblestones. She hoped she wouldn't forget the words of the special St. Lucia Day song. She whispered the song to herself under her breath now. Nightwalks ground yet silent, now hear its gentle wings. In every room so hushed, whispering like wings. In every room so hushed, whispering like wings. Look at our threshold stands, white clad with lightrid's hair.

Starting point is 00:31:29 It felt weighty but not too heavy and with the help of some safety pins, it stayed fixed and didn't wobble, even when Astrid turned her head this way in that. With the strike of a match, through Carlson lit the candle on Astrid's wreath. The rest of the children gathered behind her. They were quiet as mice. Astrid smiled and stepped out of the school door, leading the procession through the school yard and into the streets of Faustiena. At the schoolhouse gate, Astrid allowed herself one quick peek over her shoulder. Behind her, she saw the dark outline of the school, and beyond it, the forested hills

Starting point is 00:32:41 that lay past the edge of the village. She saw the school garden covered in a deep layer of snow and dressed them white, illuminated by the golden glow of their candles. She saw all of her classmates. She smiled, then pushed open the gate and walked down into the town. Both sides of the street were crowded with people from the village. She couldn't make out their faces, but she could hear their voices singing in unison. The high-lilt of the village women, the deep barit singing of the children too small to join the procession. Astrid concentrated on maintaining her pace. She didn't want to go too fast, for then the procession would be over when it had barely begun, but she didn't want to go too slowly either.

Starting point is 00:34:11 As she walked, she thought of grandma, treading the same path so many years ago. And she thought of the olden days in Vastiena. How long and dark the winter nights must have seemed back then, before every house had its own lamps. How precious this candlelit procession must have felt to them. She thought too of little Lucia in Seracusa, lighting her way through the dark of the catacombs. By the time the town hall came into view, the villages had finished singing all the traditional carols. Now there was only the Lucius Day song left to sing. Astrid sang this loud and clear as she could. The song rang out into the night sky, echoing over the rooftops

Starting point is 00:35:30 and through the distant hills. With the cherry song and the twinkling candles, Astrid thought the night didn't seem so dark after all. When the procession was over, the doors of the town hall were thrown open. Astrid went in, her cheeks and fingertips were pink from the cold. Inside, long tables grown with food, buns and biscuits and pastries, smoked fish and new potatoes, coffee brewed with cardamom and big fats of hot gluek, a special mould wine

Starting point is 00:36:32 that was simmered for hours on the stove top with spices, raisins and almonds. Astrid was too little to drink mould wine. Instead, she warmed herself with a mug of spy-staffled drink and a slice of mamas vieta crans. Everyone wanted to say hello to her, from the mare himself to her neighbors and teachers. The ladies and her mother's sewing circle, and the men who worked with her father at the Smithy. Everyone said what a wonderful Lucia she had made. When everybody had eaten their fill, the tables were cleared away, and the band came to the front of the room. To the strains of the fiddle and the accordion. The villages danced waltzes and polkas.

Starting point is 00:37:50 Astridier too. The adults kept dancing, but Astrid was starting to feel tired. She found an empty chair andulled up to watch. Old couples danced in companionable silence and young couples danced alongside them, flashing shy smiles at each other. Papa tapped his foot in time with the music tapped his foot in time with the music, and Mamma rocked baby kneels fast asleep, back and forth wrapped in her shawl. To celebrate Lucy's day, some of the villagers would stay up all night, dancing and singing, eating and drinking, telling stories until the night was over. But not astrid.

Starting point is 00:39:18 At midnight she couldn't contain her yorns any longer, and my marnd papa took her home. There she climbed into a fresh, clean nightgown and got into bed. She listened to the sounds of the house around her, linear tossing and turning in the bed beside her. Grammar settling little baby kneels into his bed, ma'am and papar having a hushed conversation. Gradually the sounds grew quieter and quieter until everything was still and silent. Everyone else was asleep. Astrid was tired too. She could hardly keep her eyes open, but she didn't want to fall asleep just yet. She wanted to lie here warm and comfortable remembering every magical detail of the evening.

Starting point is 00:40:52 The snowy streets, the sound of singing, the good smells that drifted out of the town hall. How cheerful and warm the hundreds of candles had made the dark winter night. The longest nights of the year were upon the village now. But soon enough, little by little, the nights would grow shorter, the days would grow lighter, and with every one of its visits, the sun would stay for just a little longer. Soon the snow would melt and then spring would arrive. And finally summer would come with its long, lazy days. Astrid lay back on her pillow, thinking of warmth and sunshine. And she fell asleep. ... you you ... you ... ... ... you ... ... ... ... you you you you you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Festival of St. Lucia

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