It's Saint Lucia Day today!

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Sweden is an egalitarian place these days, so any child can be chosen as Lucia for the annual procession at the local daycare centre, not just pretty ones with long blonde hair.. The boys usually prefer to be brownies (tomtar) or "star boys" (stjärngossar) in the procession, while quite a few girls agree to be Lucia's handmaidens (tärnor).. The real candles once used are now battery-powered, but there is still a special atmosphere when the lights are dimmed and the sound of the children singing grows as they enter from an adjacent room.. Tradition has it that Lucia is to wear "light in her hair," which in practice means a crown of electric candles in a wreath on her head.. Each of her handmaidens carries a candle, too.. Parents gather in the dark with their new digital cameras at the ready..The star boys, who like the handmaidens are dressed in white gowns, carry stars on sticks and have tall paper cones on their heads.. The brownies bring up the rear, carrying small lanterns..

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Went to Kungsträdgården to catch Sweden's official Saint Lucia

and her handmaidens sing Lucia songs..

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Today, people eat a traditional kind of bun, Lussekatt, made with saffron..