KAYAKS IN LIGHT FOR SANTA LUCIA
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STORY
A new tradition takes place around the darkest day of the year in Denmark. Thousands of canoes, kayaks and standup paddlers meet to light up, sing and celebrate the tradition call Santa Lucia.
Santa Lucia sings about light, hope and joy on some of most dark days of the year.
For the last month has the sun only shined 6 days in Denmark.
Copenhagen is an old harbour for trade with China and the whole world.
Water sports are part of the local tradition.
On the day of Santa Lucia has it lately become a tradition for the canoers to change into very warm clothes, decorate the canoe or kayak and them selves, to get on the water, have fun and get in a good mood.
The trip is 6 km around in the old harbour.
Included are many singing breaks, where the romantic Santa Lucia song is heard from all the individual sailors.
All have light chains with batteries on, that can be seen 360 degrees around.
The sailors could not get enough of light on, to create the right Lucia atmosphere.
The tradition is actually a very old celebration of light and hope.
In the north was it a tradition back in the viking times, to bring light in the dark times.
A young girl was elected to walk around in the village early in the morning and provided food and give hope to the people in the dark.
In some decades was actually her chance to met her future husband.
In year 300 was a lady in Italy seen walking around with candles in her hair, that perhaps was from the North, providing food and help to poor people. She was unfortunately executed, but later made a saint called Saint Lucia.
The traditions was nearly forgotten but returned in 1944 during the big World War 2, where it was dark times in Europe.
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SHOTLIST
- PEOPLE GATHERED AND SINGING IN CANALS WITH KAYAKS
- PEOPLE IN KAYAK DRUM
- PEOPLE IN START SAILING ALONG THE CANAL
- PEOPLE IN KAYAK SAIL ALONG BRIDGE
- KAYAKER WITH CANDLE CROWN
- PEOPLE OVERLOOKING THE KAYAKERS FROM BRIDGE
- KAYAKERS RETURNING TO THE INNER CANALS
- KAYAKERS GATHERING
- SOUNDBITE Maria Buhl Petersen
“I think it is a success, because every year there’s coming a lot of people to see it, and it brings people together in the holidays and you have to see something, especially when it’s dark in the north very early, you can come and see a lot of lights and bring happiness” - SOUNDBITE Marianne Helms Thorsøe
“The thing about the kayaks in the canals has been going on for some years now and and now it’s really getting like a tradition that brings out a lot of people in the streets and it’s magnificent to see all the lights and how they decorate their kayaks. And it’s very fancy. And it’s this year there were more than 200 kayaks in the canals. So yeah, it’s just a very nice sight.”
- PEOPLE HOLDING HANDS IN KAYAKS
- SOUNDBITE Thomas Lohse
“Santa Lucia to me, it means lightness in the dark during Christmas and these dark times we have around here at this time of year. So the embracing of the light is very much a nice tradition for me and to go celebrate it during this evening, yes, it’s a nice tradition. - SOUNDBITE Marianne Helms Thorsøe
“Well it’s an old tradition, and it brings in the light when it’s dark all day in Denmark and it’s cozy, yeah, cozy tradition, and it brings out a lot of people in. And it means being together” - PEOPLE IN KAYAKS SINGING
- PEOPLE CLAPPING
- SOUNDBITE Maria Buhl Petersen
“Glædelig jul til alle os i Danmark”
TRANSLATION “Merry christmast to all of us in Denmark” - SOUNDBITE Thomas Lohse
“Glædelig jul alle sammen og hav et godt nytår” - TRANSLATION “Merry christmas everyone and have a great new year”
- SOUNDBITE Marianne Helms Thorsøe & Bente høeg
“Glædelig jul allesammen” - TRANSLATION “Merry christmas everybody”
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