How To Make Saffron Buns
Today we are feasting with… Saint Lucy.
To celebrate this feast day we are making Saffron Buns. These slightly sweet, yeast rolls are flavored with saffron and adorned with raisins. They are traditionally shaped into a scrolled s-shape, known as “Lucia cats” (Lussekatter) and served throughout the season of Advent.
Immoveable Faith
In 283 AD, Lucy was born in Syracuse, Italy to a rich and noble family. Sadly, her father passed away when Lucy was only five years old. Growing up in Italy during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians was very difficult for Lucy; especially without a father to protect her and her mother, Eutychia.
Fearing the future of her daughter, Eutychia arranged for Lucy to marry a young man from a wealthy pagan family. Unfortunately, Eutychia was not aware that Lucy had consecrated her virginity to God, and therefore had no plans of marriage. Instead, Lucy had been using her dowry to purchase and distribute food to the poor, many of whom were living in the catacombs below Italy.
When the rejected bridegroom learned that Lucy had no intention of marrying him, and that she was giving away her dowry, he reported Lucy as a Christian to Paschasius, the governor of Syracuse. The pagan Paschasius, ordered Lucy to burn a sacrifice to the Roman emperor’s image.
When Lucy refused, Paschasius ordered Lucy to be sent to a brothel for defilement, however the guards who came to take her away were unable to move her from where she stood. Even after tying her to a team of oxen to be driven away, Lucy could not be moved. Since the guards were not able to transport Lucy to a brothel, they heaped bundles of wood around her in an attempt to burn her to death. Try as they might, the wood would not catch fire nor burn. This greatly angered the guards. So in a final attempt, they pulled out their swords and thus ended her life.
Saint Lucy is the patron of eye problems and blindness.
Saint Lucy, pray for us.