Lets start with some background, because this sounds pretty weird, doesn't it? The Swedish Lucia tradition is a curious mix of Italian legend and Swedish and German customs. Lucia is a Catholic saint, but she is not very famous. She is the saint of the visually impaired and of protection from throat disease. The legend tells that Saint Agatha through a miracle saved Lucia's mother's life. To honor God Lucia promised to remain a virgin for the rest of her life. But...she was endowed with a tremendous beauty, which attracted the love of a nobleman. So she was engaged against her will. She used her dowry to buy and distribute food to the poor. When her fiance found out, he became so enraged, by losing both bride and dowry, that he turned her in to the authorities as a Christian (which was outlawed at the time). She responded by poking her eyes out and sending them to her fiance (pretty strong-minded by her!). That didn't do much good for her in the eyes of the world though (no pun intended...really...). She was sentenced to work in a brothel. But when they came to take her there, she was immobile as if she was held to the ground by a strong force. So they tried to burn her, but the flames shied away from her body. Finally they managed to kill her by sticking a sword in her throat (which is why she is the patron saint of protection from throat infection). This all happened in 304 A.C. in Syracuse on Sicily. Besides the fact that she died in the name of God, many miracles are said to have occurred around her death, so she was canonized as a Catholic saint.