FMTSO: What Lights Up My Town in December

The Christmas Tree and Market in the Square.

Light decorations replacing the water in the fountain.

Inside this tent (or goahti) there’s a temporary café serving hot drinks (coffee, tea or ‘glögg’) and perhaps a ginger biscuit or Lucia bun. Inside they have a live fire burning. There are fires outside in the square too, where you can warm your hands for a while:

In the wooden market stalls they sell mostly food stuff or handicraft objects, or lottery tickets.

Roasted almonds here!

On some days there are extra tents put up at the market.

In the streets there are “curtains” of lights hanging between the buildings:

Lucia, or St Lucy’s Day, is celebrated on 13th December. In Sweden, it’s customary for each town to elect a Lucia with a number of maids who spend December going round to various public places, singing traditional Lucia and Christmas songs, and collecting money for  charity. They also visit hospitals and nursing homes etc to bring joy to people who can’t get around much themselves.

My town’s official Lucia crowning ceremony took place on 7th December this year. (By then Lucia and her maids had already been “at work” for a week or two, though.) That ceremony takes place on the terrace on top of the stairs of the town hall/courthouse, at 4 pm when it’s getting dark.

This is the best shot I was able to get with my little camera from below in the crowd:

We also have a more recent tradition of an ice sculpture or sculptures also being hewn on the spot by an ice sculptor that weekend. I was not there to watch it being made this year and I’m not actually sure what it’s supposed to represent. (Since Saturday it’s first been snowing a lot and then thawing a lot, and I’ve not been back to the square this week, so not sure what’s left of the sculptures now!)

Anyway there were also fireworks to celebrate:

 

While waiting for the bus back home, I looked up into a perfectly clear, deep blue sky with a crescent moon, doing its best to compete with all the man-made lights:

Wishing you all a Happy St. Lucy’s Day on 13th December!
~ Monica ~

 

Shadow Shot Sunday

The glimpses of sun have been rare lately…
Only occasionally do the clouds part for long enough
to remind us of the difference between light and shadow.

For Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Weekend Reflections

Q: Did you hear the story about the peacock ?
A: No, but I heard it's a beautiful tale (tail)!

Q: What is a zebra’s favorite movie?
A: The ones in black and white!

Reflections in the window of a shop selling lamps,
for Weekend Reflections

 

 

Shadow Shot Sunday – Window

Light and shadows in my bedroom window.

Shadow Shot Sunday 2

SSS: Casting Light On the Shadows

For Shadow Shot Sunday 2

The windows reflect the sunlight and cast “reversed” shadows

The Shadow of Light

See more shadows at Shadow Shot Sunday

Advent Calendar – Friday 23rd December 2011

“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~

 

Friday My Town Shoot Out  theme of the week is “Lights”.

Advent Calendar – Tuesday 20th December 2011

“Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of heavenly lights,
who does not change like shifting shadows.”
~James 1:17 ~

Advent Calendar – Sunday 18th December 2011

“It is only the modern that ever becomes old-fashioned.”

~ Oscar Wilde  ~

 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Today is the 4th Advent Sunday.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be
hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the
house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they
may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16  (Sermon on the Mount)

Advent Calendar – Sunday 11th December 2011

“Better three hours too soon than one minute too late.”
~ William Shakespeare ~

 

Today is the 3rd Advent Sunday.

“And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
~ 2 Peter 1:19 ~

Shadow Shot Sunday: By Night

More shadow than light, on a November night…

… until the town unitedly says: “Let there be light!”

 

 

 

Linked to Shadow Shot Sunday

Shadow Shot Sunday: Half-hidden Oasis

On the outskirts of busy town life, there is a half-hidden oasis called Ålgården: originally an old mill, then water works, then museum, and now artists’ gallery and workshops. I already showed some views from there on my other blog, for Weekend Reflections. But since I took a lot of photos, why not give you an expanded tour of the place here, and show some of the other buildings as well.

This is also where I saw the Orange Tip Butterfly in the previous post.

I don’t know the original purpose of this little tower.
Some sort of pump house, perhaps?

Views from the other side of the river:

Shadow Shot Sunday: Seeing the Light

 

This is a grave monument at an old cemetery close to where I live.
I must have walked past it many times without noticing it at all.
Until one day the light happened to be “just right”…

 

Shadow Shot Sunday

Mosaic Monday: Sifted Light

See more Monday Mosaics at Mary’s Little Red House

Shadow Shot Sunday: Do You See What I See?

Can you see the white stag?

The Celts saw white stags as messengers from the Otherworld.
In Arthurian legend, the pursuit of the white stag
represents mankind’s spiritual quest.

… … …

In ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis,
at the end of the book, it is a White Stag that guides the children
(then Kings and Queens of Narnia) back to their own world.

… … …

In the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling,
when Harry learns how to perform a Patronus charm to guard him
from the evil dementors, it takes the form of a White Stag.

… … …

 

… … …

Corel Paint Shop Pro X
Geometric Effects: Pentagon
Reflection Effects: Kaleidoscope