Catholics in Croatia traditionally celebrate the feast of Saint Lucia on the 13th of December. It is a Croatian custom to plant the Christmas wheat on this day therefore, we will write you short instructions how to do that properly. Plant the seeds into a small dish of soil, and place the dish in a moderately warm room, keeping it watered. By Christmas Eve the fresh shoots of wheat should be about 8 inches of a soft green. The wheat then can be placed next to the manger or crib scene as a gift to Jesus and a reminder of the Eucharist which feeds people’s souls and also as the staff of life which nourishes all of mankind. It can also be used a table decoration, with a candle placed in the center.
It is believed that wheat will show what will happen in the next year. Namely, if the wheat grows big and healthy the year will be plentiful and good, But if the wheat stays small and bad looking the next year will be difficult…
The feast of St. Lucia is tied in with the celebration of light and winter, as her name means light and her feast day originally coincided with the winter solstice, which marked the shortest day of the year.
