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  • [Gentle festive music]

  • Good morning, lovely people.

  • This is video nine in my 12 Days of Christmas series,

  • where I’m making a festive video every day of Christmastide

  • [talking softly] (the original Christmas season)

  • You can find the other videos in the series linked in the description down below.

  • And if you're not already subscribed,

  • then do click or tap the button below so you don't miss any of the Christmas love.

  • Today, were going to be talking about candles and light and warmth

  • and loveliness.

  • I have a puppy on my lap, but you can't see.

  • Quick history tip for some background:

  • So, in the medieval era Christendom,

  • Christmastide lasted from the Nativity all the way to The Purification,

  • which is also known as The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.

  • So, extending the season to forty days!

  • That is forty days of Christmas.

  • The last day, the 2nd of February

  • also known as Candlemas because of the blessing of candles on this day--

  • but I'm talking about it on the 2nd of January!

  • So I can talk about candles

  • and Christmas rituals, and

  • in general.

  • I'm gonna bend history to my will.

  • I mean, we can also throw in some paganism;

  • some Christianity--

  • Bye, then. She just wandered off.

  • And especially kind of just how special candles and light are in my personal Christmas celebrations.

  • Although you already saw a little bit of that on Day...

  • four,

  • when Claud gave me some angel chimes.

  • In the Western Christian world, the two traditional days on which Christmas decorations are removed

  • are Twelfth Night

  • (the end of my 12 Days series)

  • and Candlemas, which is February the 2nd.

  • The blessing of candles on this day is inspired by the Song of Solomon,

  • which proclaimed that Jesus is a light of revelation to the nations.

  • Any decorations not taking down on Twelfth Night

  • are meant to be left undisturbed until Candlemas

  • - the 2nd of February.

  • Leaving decorations up beyond Candlemas, however, is considered to be inauspicious

  • and you will be struck with bad luck

  • all year,

  • and mirrors will break.

  • On Candlemas, many Christians, especially Anglicans, Methodists, Orthodox, and Roman Catholics,

  • also bring the candles to their local church where theyre blessed and then used for the rest of the year.

  • For Christians, these blessed candles serve as a symbol of Jesus Christ,

  • who referred to himself as the light of the world.

  • This is the burning of the clock celebration in Brighton.

  • It's held in the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year.

  • It’s a unique community event that brings together people

  • no matter their faith, to celebrate the festive season.

  • Local people make their own paper and willow lanterns

  • and join a fantastical 2,000 strong procession that brings magic to the streets.

  • Once they've wound their way to the beach,

  • people pass their handmade lanterns filled with their hopes and dreams for the next year

  • on to a blazing bonfire and then watch a spectacular firework display,

  • with over 20,000 spectators!

  • The burning of the clocks turns the spotlight away from the more commercial side of Christmas

  • and lights up the darkest of winter nights.

  • If you've been watching my channel for a while, you know that I'm not actually a Christian,

  • even though I’m talking about Christian things.

  • I am a Quaker, which is a religion that was originally rooted in Christianity,

  • and I will link my video kind of explaining a bit more about Quakerism

  • in the description and also in a card above so you can find out a little more.

  • Now, there isn't a set rule for Quakers about Christmas (as in whether we celebrate it not and

  • how we celebrate),

  • because there aren't many rules for Quakers.

  • We're fun that way.

  • but my family is also part Swedish,

  • and thus really big on celebrating!

  • Also, celebratory drinking.

  • and celebratory Christmas morninglet's go jump into a frozen lake.’

  • Swedish people.

  • Light plays a really special role in Swedish Christmas,

  • probably because it is so dark

  • at that time of year

  • The annual candle-lit Lucia procession on the 13th of December

  • is perhaps one of the more exotic of the Swedish customs.

  • It was girls and boys clad in full-length white gowns,

  • singing songs together and processing through the town.

  • If youve seen my previous two Vlogmasses, you'll have seen me dressed as St. Lucia,

  • with my long white dress

  • (last year, I chose my wedding dress);

  • a red sash; and a crown of candles.

  • By the way, I do realise there is some disparity betweenLuciaand the way I say it ("Lu-chi-a"),

  • but that's just the way my family always say it, so

  • See also: deaf

  • Santa Lucia is the bearer of light; an ancient mythical figure,

  • with an abiding role as the bearer of light in the dark Swedish winters.

  • The Lucia celebrations represent one of the foremost cultural traditions in Sweden,

  • with their clear reference to life in the peasant communities of old.

  • So, darkness and light; cold and warm.

  • Normally, the part of Lucia--see, I can't even say it.

  • Normally, the part of Lucia

  • (whatever)

  • is played by the youngest girl in the family

  • and since I am the youngest by quite a way of many, many female cousins,

  • it was my job for many years and something I really love doing.

  • I remember like the first time I did it, I was probably about five,

  • which is potentially a strange age to let a child walk around with candles on their head.

  • So the family were all gathered

  • in grandfather's study

  • because we all went up and stayed with my grandparents in the Lake District, every Christmas.

  • And all of my aunts and uncles and all of my cousins.

  • [Whispering] And then they turn out the lights; gets very quiet.

  • [Normal voice] Someone waits with me in the hallway and I'm all dressed up; so excited.

  • [Speaking softly] Got this little--got it on my head, so ready.

  • Get lit.

  • [Normal voice] And someone rings the bell.

  • Ooo, what's that? Who's coming?”

  • I can just remember the intense joy.

  • And I walked in.

  • I feel like I had a cousin with a towel behind me.

  • Just in case I--I set on fire and she needed to throw it over me.

  • This hot, hot wax dripping onto my hair.

  • I could feel it. I was so excited.

  • Passing out presents and

  • I just felt so honored and part of something wonderful.

  • And I remember sitting watching TV

  • - later on, I think, while my cousins pulled wax out of my hair.

  • Also a Christmas tradition.

  • I think occasionally we actually ironed my hair to get the wax out,

  • which my friends found hilarious.

  • It was just such a special and wonderful thing to be a part of.

  • This family tradition that had gone on for

  • generations and generations, and

  • I can't waittil I have a little girl who can take on the tradition.

  • I’ll light candles on my child's head

  • and then I'll follow her round with a towel just in case.

  • It's just lovely, though.

  • I don’t know. What are your family traditions?

  • I'm sure you have things as well that are kind of passed down through generation to generation.

  • I'm big on tradition;

  • makes me feel so nice.

  • I haven't been able to do it this year, though,

  • which is--I think maybe this is actually the first year in my life

  • that I haven't had Lucia and be a part of it,

  • which is kind of weird

  • and a big shame, actually.

  • I think it’s just because I've been so tired.

  • I said to Claud the other day:

  • since I got rushed to hospital at the start November,

  • I don't think I've actually felt not tired.

  • I mean, obviously I have chronic fatigue, so I always feel pretty tired.

  • But I’m definitely more tired than usual.

  • To which she pointed out that the fact I had to go to hospital

  • probably proves that I was already more tired than I should have been.

  • Hopefully, though, now it’s the new year, things will slowly get back to normal,

  • because--who knows really? Because this month is actually quite busy for me.

  • It's my birthday on the 25th.

  • [Small exclamation] [Fireworks sound effect]

  • I'm going to be thirty!

  • You can start calling me mum now.

  • I know.

  • I'm going to America

  • like two days after my birthday.

  • Again.

  • Um...for more meetings.

  • But I'm only there for about three days, which is ridiculous.

  • Jet lag's gonnakill me.

  • Um, and then as soon as I come backthe day I land

  • we're having this big birthday party.

  • I wanted the special like weekend away with my friends

  • to really celebrate,

  • because I didn't get to go anywhere for my hen party.

  • We had it in Brighton.

  • So I was really like, ‘Yeah, I want all my friends together;

  • we're gonna stay in some place and it will feel great, yeah!’

  • No, to be fair, the trip to America was planned after I planned my birthday, so.