Susanne Nylund Skog (Institute for Language and Folklore)
The celebration of St Lucia has a varied history with often disputed links to different geographical locations, times and customs. Despite this, the tradition is considered Swedish and has become one of Sweden's most "exported". In this paper I analyze photos taken at a Lucia celebration in Duluth 1948 and relate the analysis to descriptions of Lucia celebrations in Sweden at the same time, from The Swedish National Archives and the archives of the Institute of Language and Folklore. The aim is to demonstrate how the tradition is maintained and celebrated as genuine and correct through local adaption and interpretation.
Part of 07-13 Migration and Transnational Heritage, Saturday, November 04, 8:30 am–10:00 am