Before the spread of Christianity, Nordic pagans may have observed the winter solstice by warding off the darkness with firelight. Today, flames are a part of Christian tradition on December 13, St. Lucia’s Day, a festival in which young girls don lighted wreaths atop their heads in memory of a fourth-century martyr. Here, our wreath bears a grapevine star, calling to mind the heavenly symbol of Christ’s birth.
