Under the ancient Roman calendar, December 13 was the shortest day of the year: the winter solstice. Under our modern Gregorian calendar, the solstice now falls on December 21/22; in Sicily, however, December 13 is still recognized as the ancient celebration of Santa Lucia, the patron saint of the city of Siracusa, of the blind, and as her name indicates: of light (lux, luce). Santa Lucia lived during the late 3RD century AD, before Christianity was recognized by the Roman Empire. After having a vision of Sant’Agata of Catania, who cured Lucia’s mother, her secret Christian faith become unwavering and she promised her virginity to God… This is where her story truly begins. It’s a long, detailed one, which I’ll have to write about on www.experiencesicily.com. But this post will help you recognize the significance of today.  #santalucia #saintlucy #siracusa #light #luce #sicily #sicilia #sicily_travel #sicilytravel #experiencesicily #sicily_tourism #sicilytourism #siciliaph #siciliafoto #igerssicilia #instasicilia #ig_sicily #igfriends_sicilia #ig_siracusa