Santa Lucia belonged to a rich family from Syracuse (Sicily). From a young age, she wanted to consecrate herself to Jesus and made a vow of chastity. However, her mother wanted to give her in marriage to a pagan, named Timbrione. Since Lucia refused to marry him, he denounced her as a Christian. She was arrested and sentenced to spend her life in a brothel.
When the jailers tried to move her from her cell to be taken to the prostitution house, her body became so heavy that it was impossible to move. In the year 304 AD, Lucia passed away in her cell.
In the year 1039, the Byzantines stole the body of Santa Lucia and took it to Constantinople. However, during the fourth crusade, the Venetians took the saint’s body to Venice, where it is currently located.
I visited the glass sarcophagus where the remains of Santa Lucia are kept and I can testify, having seen it with my own eyes, that her flesh is still stuck to her body, despite almost two thousand years have passed since her death.
The feast day of Santa Lucia is December 13. On this day, many families in Sicily make a special meal called cuccìa. ̀It is made of boiled wheat seasoned with chocolate or sweet ricotta, honey, and pieces of candied fruit.
The tradition of cooking the cuccìa has lasted for many centuries and is still alive.
Ettore Grillo author of these books:
– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
– Travels of the Mind
Ettore Grillo's Blog and Books 