When I look at the props list of a forthcoming play and I see that it has some rather unusual props on it, I actually get quite excited about the challenge. However, Steve Darvill - a member of The Green Room Productions who quite often helps to source the props - will probably say his heart sinks! Over the last two or three years it seems that a number of our productions have contained unusual props. We have had to hunt for some quite bizarre items - but more of that in another blog. Our next production, Breeders (What’s On in Eastbourne), certainly has some ‘weird and wacky’ props. The play centres around Santa Lucia Day (13th of December) and I was intrigued to see that Saffrons Buns were included on the list. Having no idea what they were I hopped over to Google to find out more and ended up delving further into the subject than I first anticipated. So, for all you bun lovers out there (said the actress to the bishop) read-ahead!...
The Origin Of The Saffron Bun
Lussekatter (Lucia Saffron Buns) are eaten on the 13th of December to celebrate ‘Lucia’ (the patron Saint of Light). The celebration is one of the highlights of the Swedish calendar and the Saint Lucia procession is magical …
St Lucia was a young Christian girl who was martyred and killed for her faith in 304. The most common story told about St Lucia is that she would secretly bring food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who lived in hiding in the catacombs under the city. She would wear candles on her head so she had both her hands free to carry things. Lucy means 'light' hence the name. Each year, a girl will be elected to portray her, walking through the streets in a white dress, with a red belt and a crown made of Lingonberry branches (which are evergreen and symbolise new life in winter) and decorated with candles. She is followed by girls dressed in white holding candles, Star Boys (Stjärngossar), and Gingerbread Men.
However, in Sweden she is also associated with Lucifer, the devil! As a Northern Swedish legend goes, Lucia was Adam’s first wife, she consorted with the devil and an evil underworld race was born to cause mischief and mayhem, especially the night before Christmas. Children should most definitely stay indoors on Christmas Eve otherwise Lucia could take them!
Devil Cat
Each bun is shaped into an S-shape, which is supposed to resemble a curled up cat, and then two raisins are added to represent the eyes. Nobody knows for sure the origins of the shape and the connection with Saint Lucia, but it has been thought that they were originally called djävulskatter (the devil's cats). These days Lussekatter are enjoyed throughout Advent, a nice time to visit Sweden as the Julmarknader (Christmas markets) are on and you might be lucky enough to be there when they are covered with a blanket of snow.
Cornwall and the Saffron Bun
Saffron Buns (“The Revel Bun”) also have links to Cornwall and are baked for special occasions, such as anniversary feasts (“revels”), or the dedication of a church. In West Cornwall, large saffron buns are also known as "Tea Treat Buns" and are associated with Methodist Sunday school outings or activities.
The Great Swedish Bake Off
We will have to make a good few of these for our production of Breeders, but if you would like to have a go yourself click link for the BBC Good Food recipe:
#YUMMY
Breeders by Ben Ockrent is on from December 11th - 14th, so as you can tell we are actually performing on Santa Lucia Day itself! Click here to book.