Each winter, this blinded martyr—who delivers candy and presents in the wee hours of December 13—has Verona’s children on the edge of their seats.
When Eleonora Lonardi , bear and elevate in Verona , Italy , look back on her puerility remembering of Santa Lucia , she does so lovingly and with genuine happiness . But when she was a slight kid , it was a very dissimilar story .
“ Santa Claus is like your chubby grandfather who bears talent and comes down the lamp chimney , ” she says of the Christmas picture . “ The story of Santa Claus always put me at ease — Santa Lucia made me queasy . ”
Santa Lucia , however , might burst at these words . Because here , Santa Claus is n’t the primary character — it ’s Santa Lucia . In Verona , the Roman Catholic saint ’s job is essentially the same as Santa ’s : bestow gifts and pieces of sweet candy upon Verona ’s children , who , every twelvemonth bulge out in mid - November , frantically get up for her arrival .
Verona’s Christmas markets are stocked with toys, themed decorations, and, most importantly, candy.|Marco Secchi/Getty Images
On the night of December 12 , as the custom dictate , local shaver leave milk and cookies out for Santa Lucia , her donkey , and her helper , Castaldo , skip to supply a moment of respite for the yoke during their busy Nox of the year . In exchange , the kids arouse to a great pile of extremely in demand presents . Just like the jolly man ’s untried disciples , only the nice fry get rewarded — but while Santa Lucia ca n’t exactly keep watch like her counterpart , she definitely knows if you ’ve been spoiled or honest .
The legend begin in the thirteenth century , when a unusual eye plague had the city of Verona on its stifle . Out of choice , the citizen flex to Santa Lucia — a saint who lost both her centre as part of her martyrdom — to ask for mercy . allot to the story , young people were particularly affected by the disease , and so it was decide that a child pilgrim’s journey to the Church of Sant’Agnese — now the web site of Verona ’s town hall — was in ordering .
But it was winter , inhuman and unforgiving , and naturally , the kids did n’t want to go . " Walking In that weather ? Absolutely not , " they pleaded . Worried that their small fry would skip out on the blessings of wellness and good sight if they did n’t shoot up and brave the ingredient , Verona ’s parent decided to change maneuver . The new design ? graft . " If you join us on the pilgrimage , you ’ll get candy and plaything as soon as we ’re home , " they state . " All courtesy of Santa Lucia . "
Over the year , the tradition planted source in the town . And as it so often goes , narration twist were added and rules were aline along the way . Today , the people of Verona might all tell you slightly different Santa Lucia bloodline stories , each molded by their own family lore . " I have to be honest , " say Lonardi , wrinkling her nozzle . " I hear a few bits of this fib here and there , but I do n’t intend it ’s tradition to tell kids about the pilgrim’s journey . "
Instead , what was pass along down to her was a morsel more sinister — not alone unexpected given that most representations of the apotheosis draw her holding a dish containing her gouged - out eyeballs . " We were told that Santa Lucia was a Madonna - like fig , blind , and a holy defender of the eyes , " Lonardi explain . " And if you attempt to peek at her on the night she bear gift , she ’d confuse sand in your eyes and you ’d become blind , too . "
No matter the specific , there ’s no denying that in Verona , the two weeks leading up to Santa Lucia ’s annual visit buzz with a sure kind of magic . As the clouds descend upon the foggy gates of winter , Santa Lucia ’s growing aura begin to feel almost palpable . The Piazza Bra transforms into a lively loose - air market featuring decorations , sweetness , and toy , just like a Christmas market place . As Silvia Zerbini , another Verona occupant and a ego - declared Santa Lucia superfan , note , the townsfolk square coup d’etat marks the start of the holiday time of year , a clip when her beloved Verona " goes softheaded " with medallion , street carnival , and flash light displays .
A fresco inside Matera, Italy’s Santa Lucia alle Malve shows Santa Lucia holding her eyeballs in an outstretched chalice.|Kelly Cheng/Moment/Getty Images
Area families also get in on the action , arrange trivial rituals to keep the children on their toes . Inside the houses , bells telephone out at random times , queuing unheralded confect drops . If a nipper hears those buzzer , it mean they ’re on raceway — Santa Lucia is felicitous and presents are at hand .
Some get even more creative with the prevenient festivity . Zerbini still remembers her aunt dressing up as the iconic saint , complete with a white clothes and white gloves . Like an sweet fantasm , the embodied Santa Lucia acquaint herself to Zerbini and her sisters by gracefully walking across the field glass ceiling that shielded the outdoor laundry arena . " We face up and see sparkles coming down from her gloves , " she recall . " But you could n’t face her in the eye . "
The purport of Santa Lucia can also be mischievous , even bring ridiculous games . She ’s been known to cache her gifts at the oddment of detailed confect trails , turn hallways and aliveness rooms into edible mazes . In the morning , the tyke hurry out of bed and race to hunt down their prizes .
In Verona, Santa Lucia’s Day kicks off the start of the city’s Christmas season.|Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images
Of course , not everyone finds gold at the oddment of the rainbow . Both Lonardi and Zerbini warn that if you do n’t indite Santa Lucia a nice missive detail your wishes and break to forget out some sort of bite — every menage has its own take on the preferred recreation — your chances of being rewarded are svelte .
If you abide by Santa Lucia ’s rulesand successfully make it through the year without falling quarry to naughtiness , the cockcrow of December 13 is a brilliant culmination to all those weeks of suspense — that is , until schoolhouse starts . Unlike Christmas , Santa Lucia ’s Day is n’t a bank holiday , so children must induce to open as many presents as they can before it ’s time to guide to class . Zerbini remembers bringing one or two of her gifts along with her to swank them in front of her classmates . Lonardi , on the other hand , recalls fleet the day impatiently , counting down the minutes until she could in the end go home and wager with her new miniature .
Every year , the same cycle repetition , the same roller coaster of emotions whisking the child of Verona away on a thrilling ride . Until time catches up and the ride necessarily discontinue . As much as they want to keep consider , every individual Kyd is ultimately met with the realization that Santa Lucia , like Santa Claus , is just a cock-and-bull story . For some , it might come as a respite — no more antsy expectation , no more sleepless nights . But for most kid , see the the true is a huge letdown .
At the Church of Santa Lucia in Bergamo, Italy, children pile handwritten letters in front of Santa Lucia’s reliquary ahead of her special night.|Luca Ponti/Shutterstock
" It ’s the first big footstep you make , the first metre you learn you ’re grow up , " says Lonardi , a bittersweet border pussyfoot into her voice . " in person , I always begrudge my brother — he was younger than me . He still could trust in Santa Lucia . "
