Albin Persson, 15, competed with five girls to be the school’s Lucia. When the vote was counted, Albin had won. Gay and the school’s Lucia and I’m writing history he said.
The yearly Lucia celebration on the 13th of December is kind of big deal in Sweden, it’s Decembers own Melodifestivalen.
Traditional it’s a girl with lights in her hair leading the procession followed by boys and girl holding a light/candle in their hand while singing the Swedish Santa Lucia Song. Never has it been a boy being Lucia (as of what we know of), until Albin this year. So every girls dream is being chosen to be Lucia and that was Albin dream too and dream came true.
On Tuesday morning at 07.30 am, Albin Persson are standing with light in the hair at the Högastens High School (Högastensskolan) sports hall in Helsingborg in front of a white-clad choir. When the wall opens and the school Lucia procession reveals it self to the rest of the students while, he reads: “How dark is the night in mid-winter, but when approaching Lucia …”
I think I can improve a vulnerable group, if I as a gay guy can be elected to be Lucia, maybe I can be a good role model for others. Maybe I can strengthen others in my situation.
Albin are prepared on reactions since Swedish department store Åhléns own Lucia was getting lot of racism and hate abuse online, because of the colour on the boy skin, who was in their Lucia ads. Åhléns decided to take down the ad, to protect the boy and his family for more racism and hate abuse.
Åhléns says in a statement according to Dagbladet in Norway, that they believe that all children have equal rights and that they shall be able to express themselves exactly as they wish, regardless of gender, length of hair, colour or background.
Santa Lucia Song
English lyrics by Rob Nygren via www.mamalisa.com
Night’s heavy footprints lie
‘Round farm and toil
Spirits shall haunt the world
Shadows on soil
In our dark house at night
Rising with candles bright
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.
Night’s full of black and gloom
Now hear her swing
Through all our darkened rooms
On her sweet wings
At our door clad in white
Wearing a crown of light
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.
Darkness would fain out flee
From valleys deep
Marvellous words to us
We hear her speak
New day again shall rise
Coming with rosy skies
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.
Photo By Per Palmkvist Knudsen (Own work) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
