The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops asked St. Lucy for intercession as they venerated her feast day on Dec. 13.   

St. Lucy is honored across the globe, most traditionally in Sweden, Norway and parts of Finland, Britannica explains. On her feast day, boys and girls across many towns march and dance outside wearing white, while the girls wear wreaths of light on their heads, correlating with the belief that Christmas season serves as a light that illuminates the darkest time of the year. Lucy’s name is also related as it translates to “light” or “lucid,” the web site Catholic explains.

The holiday is derived from the execution of St. Lucy, a wealthy Sicilian woman who dreamed of following in the footsteps of St. Agatha and remaining a virgin and donating her riches, rather than enjoying material goods.

St. Lucy was sent away to a brothel to prostitute herself after a man reported her to the Roman authorities out of spite. She was then said to be freed by a divine intervention that caused her to be immovable. 

Upon identifying her inability to participate in the brothel, Roman authorities ordered her execution, which involved death by sword after a fire was unsuccessful at burning her. Lucy is now deemed the patron saint of blindness.