Watch the mapping on the facade of the Embassy of Sweden. Listen to Swedish Christmas music and taste the Swedish gingerbread.

Saturday, December 14, between 5 and 8 p.m., Bagatela 3 str. near Łazienki Królewskie.

Long before the tradition started the night to the 13th of December was considered the longest and darkest of the year. It was according to folklore dangerous - animals could speak and other supernatural forces were on the move. To keep safe people stayed awake all night. Lucia, who arrives early singing with “light in the hair”, eased the weight of the scary night. Lucia was originally a custom from western Sweden but spread into a beloved tradition for all swedes. The celebrations start in the morning with Lucia processions in workplaces and schools. Each year an election for Sweden’s Lucia is organized and the official procession is held at Skansen – the oldest outdoor museum in the world - in Stockholm. Another background to the Lucia celebrations comes from Italy. Lucia, a young woman, used her dowry to feed the poor, which upset her fiancé. He reported her for being a Christian, a crime in the Roman society, and therefore she was sentenced to death. The connection between the Swedish tradition and the saint, Santa Lucia, cannot be confirmed. Some say it only has the name in common while others believe the tradition originates from the legend.