An Indian Infusion: Dec. 13

I'm left with little choice but backtracking through the journals & partial blogs I've created during the past nearly eight weeks as I work long hours to catch up posting before a self-set goal of being in real time before New Year's Day, 2012.

Friends & family were on my mind often as the holidays approached, beginning with a beautiful St. Lucia ceremony accompanied by my host, Maria & her friend. They relayed that many of the songs were modern & they missed the traditional Lucia songs; I enjoyed the songs, knowing very little Swedish! The service was a bit over an hour, with most of the singing performed by a large, all-female choir, split by a short intermission of a male choir of seven young men from the congregation singing traditional English holiday songs...including a great Swedish accent version of White Christmas.

The highlight of the concert was the addition of a children's choir for the last four songs, bringing the total of singers to well over 100. We were lucky enough to have selected seats near the performer staging area, bringing the lit wreaths glowing past us several times.

Cold, rainy night with folks waiting in line to enter the santuary

Preparing to enter the church down a long center aisle & candles ablaze - both on the heads & hands of young woman, wall sconces & massive chandeliers.

We ended our evening with a traditional St. Lucia tea & chat created by another of Maria's friends. She is an artist so the apartment was filled with unique touches & creativity...neat to experience in an old, renovated building directly in downtown Stockholm, complete with small courtyards & winding staircases to each new level.