A Gay Atheist Enters Gothenburg Cathedral And Finds An Antidote To Darkness
12/12/2016 10:55 am ET
Mark A. Thompson
On a snow-cold winter’s night in Sweden, a gay atheist and his husband entered Gothenburg Cathedral for the annual candlelit Lucia concert — and, two hours later, emerged elated.
That atheist was me and in the months since that night the memory of that Saint Lucia celebration has reminded me anew of the power of music and beauty in the face of (post-election) darkness.
Few holidays in Sweden are as beloved as Saint Lucia Day, which is celebrated annually on the 13th of December. In the ancient Julian calendar, the Lucia tradition was associated with the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, a dangerous night marked by supernatural beings. As a bearer of light in the midst of a dark Swedish winter, Lucia appeared in white wearing “light in her hair.”
“Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved Lucia Day,” says Anders Öhrman, Editor in Chief of QX, Sweden’s largest LGBT magazine. “As a little boy, I was a bit jealous of the girl who got to be Lucia — she was always so beautiful and sparkled with light — but since I was a boy I could only choose between being a star boy or a gingerbread boy in the parade. Not so glamorous.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-a-thompson/a-gay-atheist-enters-goth_b_13556066.html
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