WABI SABI Lisbeth Williams @ Williams Design
December 13: Lucia celebrations in Sweden
On December 13 we celebrate Lucia in Sweden Then, in the wee hours of the morning, young people knock on doors of family and friends, and wake them up with a song, hot coffee and Lussebullar (saffron buns recipe here), as in Carl Larson's painting below. (The two young ladies in the 1919 photo above are Anna Bylander & Kerstin Johansson.)
One theory claims that the Lucia celebration evolved from old Swedish traditions of star boys and white-dressed angels singing Christmas carols at different events during Advent and Christmas. The current tradition of having a white-dressed woman with candles in her hair appearing on the morning of the Lucia day, December 13, started in the late 18th century and spread slowly to other parts of the country during the 19th century. (Wikipedia)
Above: In the Lucia procession in the home, depicted by Carl Larsson in 1908, the oldest daughter brings coffee and St. Lucia buns to her parents while wearing a candle-wreath and singing a Lucia song. Other daughters may help, dressed in the same kind of white robe and carrying a candle in one hand, but only the oldest daughter wears the candle-wreath. (Wikipedia)
Lucia use to scare the living daylight out of the Nobel Prize Winners and their families, while still in Sweden after the festivities. Nowadays the laureats are asked in advance if they want to be woken up by a singing Lucia and her entourage. Why miss out on an old Swedish tradition? Most of them say yes.
If you are still curious what this Lucia tradition is all about, check out the beautiful video below, filmed some years ago at painter Anders Zorn's studio in Mora:
(This post is a repost from last year.)
Trace the lines
Elegant lines. Precise lines. Searching lines.
Images from top left:
Pendant via Madame Herve.
Shopping cart - artwork by Ben Shahn.
Lamp design by Peter Bristol.
Clothes hanger by Nendo
Sketch by Henri Matisse.
Necklace by Emma Price
Interior via Dezeen.
Circular light by Elizabeth Leriche
Below: by Sania Pell
Dressed for a Nobel Prize Banquet
Today is December 10, and major party time in Sweden.
I was not invited to the Nobel Prize Ceremony or Banquet (not fair ;-))
but I have friends who are there. Mingling with Laureates and Swedish Royalties.
What do one wear on an occasion like that?
All the bling you can muster. And then some...
OR you may ware a traditional attire from your country.
So - if you don't have a vintage couture dress
like the one by Elsa Schiaparelli (1952) in your wardrobe, you can always go traditional.
There are laureates from France, the UK, Japan, the USA and China this year,
and I was hoping to see some fun and creative dresses like these. But no...
I would love to wear a dress like the one below. Plus the necklace.
... or be a golden girl. With folds galore.
Wonder what it's like to dance in a golden dress like this:
What would you wear?
WABI SABI Lisbeth Williams @ Williams Design
Living an analogue life
I found these beauties over at analoguelife.com,
an online shop that focuses on simple and functional contemporary Japanese houseware.
The items here are, from top left, by
Nobuho Miya, Toki no Kumo, TajIka Vallican, Takeshi Omura and Norikazu Oe.
an online shop that focuses on simple and functional contemporary Japanese houseware.
The items here are, from top left, by
Nobuho Miya, Toki no Kumo, TajIka Vallican, Takeshi Omura and Norikazu Oe.
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