Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western Church, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, Lutheran Churches, and other mainline Protestant churches. It can fall on any date from 11 December to 17 December.
Gaudete Sunday is known as the "Sunday of joy"
Today it's also Saint Lucy's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day observed on 13 December. The observance commemorates Lucia of Syracuse, an early-4th-century virgin martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution, who according to legend brought food and aid to Christians hiding in the Roman catacombs, wearing a candle lit wreath on her head to light her way and leave her hands free to carry as much food as possible. Her feast day, which coincided with the shortest day of the year prior to calendar reforms, is widely celebrated as a festival of light. Falling within the Advent season, Saint Lucy's Day is viewed as a precursor of Christmastide, pointing to the arrival of the Light of Christ in the calendar on Christmas Day.
Saint Lucy's Day is celebrated most widely in Scandinavia and in Italy, with each emphasising a different aspect of her story. In Scandinavia, where Lucy is called Santa Lucia in Norwegian and Danish and Sankta Lucia in Swedish, she is represented as a lady in a white dress symbolizing a baptismal robe and a red sash symbolizing the blood of her martyrdom, with a crown or wreath of candles on her head.
In Norway, Sweden and Swedish-speaking regions of Finland, as songs are sung, girls dressed as Saint Lucy carry cookies and saffron buns in procession, which symbolizes bringing the Light of Christ into the world's darkness. In both Protestant and Catholic churches, boys participate in the procession as well, playing different roles associated with Christmastide, such as that of Saint Stephen. The celebration of Saint Lucy's Day is said to help one live the winter days with enough light.
So for today as a classic we have Eric Clapton along with Luciano Pavarotti and East London Gospel Choir performing the tune "Holy Mother" (Live). "Holy Mother" (August, 1986) – After The Band’s Richard Manuel passed away in 1986, Clapton penned “Holy Mother” as a tribute to his friend. Clapton spoke of his love for Manuel on many occasions. “I was madly in love with Richard… For me, Richard was the true light of The Band… there was something of the holy madman about Richard. He was raw. When he sang in that high falsetto the hair on my neck would stand on end. Not many people can do that.” The tune is taken from "August", the tenth solo studio album by Eric Clapton, released in 1986 by Duck Records/Warner Bros. Records. Primarily produced by Phil Collins, in association with longtime Clapton associate Tom Dowd. Enjoy!
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