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Deja Moo
Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA
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We Norwegians continue to celebrate the coming of the light saint. I suspect that the guys in the funny hats are not adverse to a drink or three.  Poulsbo, WA is called "Little Norway" here but, Ballard, WA is home to the majority of scandinavians in Washington.
kitsapsun.com
http://www.kitsapsun.com/bsun/local/...288477,00.html
Quote:
James Branaman | Kitsap Sun
Vikings await the arrival of St. Lucia during Julefest at Poulsbo's Waterfront Park.
'Light Saint' Warms Cold, Dark Poulsbo
It's those dark days of midwinter that inspire the coming of St. Lucia and lighting of the Yule Log.
By Angela Smith-Dice, asmith@kitsapsun.com
December 4, 2005
Poulsbo
A torch-lighted longboat emerged from the cold, distant darkness of Liberty Bay.
Ahead, a pier lined with torch-carrying vikings awaited as a crowd of about 200 onlookers lined the shore of Waterfront Park.
Horns sounded as the boat drifted near and the focus of attention, a girl in white with a crown of candles, turned her head.
After a day of holiday crafts and displays of Scandinavian folk dancing and music, Little Norway on Saturday celebrated one of the highlights of its annual Julefest. The tradition of Julefest, or Yule Fest, dates back hundreds of years but has been celebrated in Poulsbo for only the past couple of decades. The city was originally established by Norwegian immigrants in the 1880s.
"I think there's been a resurgence in culture and heritage," said Robert Moseng, Poulsbo Sons of Norway president.
"There's a need to know where we come from, what our roots are," he said. "I think it brings perhaps certainly a preponderance of good food, more of a sense of fellowship and community awareness of another culture that they don't get exposed to."
Poulsbo's Julefest starts early in the day with a bazaar in the Sons of Norway hall and goes until past 6 p.m. with events that include a visit from the candle-crowned St. Lucia, a visit from Father Christmas and the lighting of the Yule Log.
On Saturday, children in crisp white shirts, long skirts, aprons and Mary Janes flitted around the room through the afternoon after a Scandinavian dance performance. A teenager wove strands together in a corner and families surrounded tables with plates of mashed potatoes and meatballs or bowls of pea soup or Rommegrot (sour cream porridge).
Attendance was strong, said those at the hall — better than in the past few years, though crowds were larger a decade ago.
"Goddag ... that's 'good day'," said Stan Overby, who teaches Norwegian language classes. He manned a table with Christmas-themed books in the hall.
Outside, on Front Street carolers and shoppers wandered beneath lampposts decorated sheaves of oats — food for birds.
"In the olden days, it was believed if you gave an abundance, you'd receive in abundance," said Marianne Samuelsen with Sons of Norway.
Candelabras — electric ones — were lit in store windows, a tradition meant "to welcome people during the darkest times," Samuelsen said.
It's those dark days of mid-winter that inspires one of the highlights of Julefest in Poulsbo, the coming of St. Lucia and lighting of the Yule Log.
As the story goes, St. Lucia was a Sicilian woman who wore candles in her hair to light her way as she delivered food to the hungry, and was martyred on Dec. 13 by the Romans for her Christian faith.
One legend has it that St. Lucia, whose name also means "light," appeared dressed in white robes and delivered food during a famine in Sweden.
She appealed to people in Sweden and later Norway during the long, dark winter nights, and they celebrated her as the "light saint" who signaled the return of longer days.
And on Saturday, Brynn Breakey, dressed as St. Lucia, stepped off a longboat and onto the pier in Poulsbo and walked with the vikings to a pile of wood set in Waterfront Park.
They formed a circle and raised their torches.
"Place your torch on the pyre we have built so that all men may be warmed by the flame," the head viking commanded.
They placed their torches down and flames immediately rose.
"Velkommen, my friends," he said. "Velkommen to Poulsbo."
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