Hello all,
Last Saturday we had our annual volunteer riding show at Equest Therapeutic Horsemanship Center in Wylie, Texas. It is great fun to compete with good friends who are great riders and wonderful horses. Every year we dress in costume and this year I asked Amigo to be a Swedish Dala Horse. Sweet, Amigo being such the good sport agreed. A Swedish Daha horse is the bright, happy little animal that probably originated in the 1700's. During wartime many soldiers were quartered in private homes in Sweden. Tradition has it that one such soldier carved a Dala horse in the home where he was staying for the children. In return for the bright toy, the woman of the house gave the soldier a bowl of soup. Soon word of his success in bartering for food reached the other soldiers, they too began carving and painting horses in exchange for food. Thus, the Dala Horse is credited in part with the army's surviving the cruel,cold winter.
For this year's show I decided to dress as St. Lucia or Saint Lucy. St Lucy's Day is celebrated on the 12th of December. She was martyed for helping hide the Christians from the Romans. She worked with the sick and in order to use both hands wore a headband of candles for which to see in the dark. She is dressed in a white with a red waistband which signifies her martyr’s death. In traditional celebrations, Saint Lucy comes as a young woman with lights and sweets.St. Lucy's Day is observed on in an all night celebration called Lucevaka. Celebrants would party all night between 12th and 13th and guard oneself against being taken by Lucifer, lord of darkness. 
When the light arrives with the morning you are safe again. In Scandinavia and other parts of the world, a procession is headed by one girl wearing a crown of candles (or lights), while others in the procession hold only a single candle each.By the way.....we took First Place in Costume and First Place in Holding an Ornament in a Spoon (Amigo is awesome at neck reining)....Fourth Place in Equitation(out of nine participants)....Happy Holidays to all.....Angie and Amigo
