Shining a light during the darkest time of year
There’s a tradition the Swedes celebrate every year around this time, honouring the triumph of light over darkness. The celebration of Saint Lucy, or “Sankta Lucia” as she’s known in Sweden, has its roots in several locations - from 3rd century Sicily, where the martyr Saint Lucy herself lost her life at the hands of a Roman soldier, to pre-Gregorian calendar Sweden, where communities lit up the night to fend off evil spirits during 13 December, then the longest night of the year. As the two sources for today’s tradition evolved together over time, they have come to stand today as a symbol of enduring the darkness, so we can embrace light together.
I had the pleasure of attending a Lucia celebration in Southwark Cathedral last week, put on by the Swedish church as well as the Church of England. And as a choir entered a candlelit church, each person holding a candle in their hands, I thought of the words of the Swedish pastor that preceded them. He reminded the audience that the world right now needs light, and that we must be the ones carrying the flame to bring our neighbours out of darkness.
Lucia is just one of the traditions we humans celebrate during the darkest time of year.
Our thoughts have been with our Jewish friends as well as Jewish communities around the world in the wake of such a senseless tragedy on the first night of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of light. Though we saw incredible examples of heroism in the Sydney attack, the event was a reminder that we must do more to show that hate has no place in any community, in any corner of the planet.
Looking back on the year, we’ve seen reminder after reminder that love and light will always triumph. From the unveiling of the world’s first humanitarian memorial in Gunnersbury Park to the debut of the BOLD exhibition in Glasgow, the good work being done by our clients has been nothing short of inspiring - and necessary. The world needs more people like the hardworking clients we have the pleasure of working with each week. We want to extend a massive thank you to each of them for not only making our jobs meaningful and enjoyable, but also for creating a better today and a better tomorrow for so many others.
As we wind down in the office and set our sights on Christmas, we wish you all peace this season, and encourage you to keep carrying the light into the brighter days ahead.
