BISHOP HILL, IL – A Swedish holiday tradition will be re-created in an 1850s pioneer town during the annual Lucia Nights celebration scheduled for Friday and Saturday, December 9 and 10 at Bishop Hill State Historic Site.

           

In a continuation of Swedish tradition, all Bishop Hill businesses, museums and bed and breakfasts will be open until 9 p.m. and will feature a Lucia girl wearing a white robe, crimson sash, and a candle crown.  She will serve hot beverages and sweets to visitors.

           

The celebration will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, December 10 as the community Christmas tree is lit at the southeast corner of the Village Park.  The Steeple Building will feature a bell choir concert at 6:30 p.m.

           

Any Old Thyme will perform from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, December 11 in the Steeple Building.

 

            Two free concerts presented by the Nova Singers will be given at 7 and 7:45 p.m. both nights in the Colony Church Sanctuary.  Seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.  Heaven’s Host Chorale will perform both nights at the Bishop Hill Fire Station at 6:30 and 7:15 p.m., and will present a special concert in the Colony Church Sanctuary at 4 p.m. Saturday, December 10. 

 

            The name “Lucia” is derived from the Latin word for “light.”  This Swedish tradition is based on the legend of a Sicilian martyr, Saint Lucia, Queen of Light.  Legend has it that during a famine in Sweden, on the longest and darkest day of the year, Saint Lucia appeared wearing a white robe and a crown of candles.  She came on a ship loaded

with food, which mysteriously disappeared when the food was unloaded.  To this day in Sweden, girls awaken their families on December 13 dressed in white robes and wearing crowns of candles.

 

            Bishop Hill was founded in 1846 by Swedish religious dissidents as a “utopia on the prairie.”  The Bjorklund Hotel, Old Colony Church and Bishop Hill Museum are administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.  All are open Wednesday through Sunday for free public tours.