NORDIC NORTHWEST'S
OFFICIAL OREGON LUCIA

Nordic Northwest's Lucia Scholarship program puts young women with an interest in Nordic heritage in touch with a beloved legend of Scandinavian Christmas.

Our 67th Official Oregon Lucia,

the 2023 Lucia Queen of Light,

Brynn Bourlon!

MEET THE COURT

WATCH THE CROWNING

2023-2024 Lucia Court

Brynn Bourlon
Celina Stone
Elise Christopherson
Hella Walter
Jane Crass
Linnea Smith
Tess Henriques

THE SCHOLARSHIP

An Oregon tradition since 1956, the Lucia program puts young women with and interest in Nordic heritage in touch with this beloved legend of Scandinavia, while offering them the opportunity to serve their community and receive Scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $1,000. The official Oregon Lucia is crowned shortly after the selection. Lucia and her court members appear at various Nordic events during the holiday season, including Nordic Northwest’s ScanFair in December and throughout the year.

The Scandinavian community in Portland has taken great pride in preserving the Lucia tradition since 1956. In the 1970s, Governor Tom McCall proclaimed the Portland Lucia the official Lucia of Oregon. Formerly a program of the Scandinavian Club of Portland, the Lucia program is now sponsored by Nordic Northwest.

Nordic Northwest accepts Lucia applications from young women with an interest in Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swedish heritage between the ages of 16 and 20 (must be at least a junior in high school, unmarried and a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S.).

HONORING THE TRADITION

SERVING THE COMMUNITY

SUPPORTING WOMEN'S EDUCATION

The spirit of Lucia is alive at Nordic Northwest.

Scandinavian tradition holds that in Vårmland, Sweden, a white-clad maiden wearing a crown of burning candles and a red sash brought food to starving villagers on the shores of Lake Vanern. On the morning of December 13, the strains of “Santa Lucia” are heard everywhere as the white-robed maiden comes out of the night with

her burning crown of candles to dispel the darkness, bringing bright light to the Christmas season. While it was originally a Swedish tradition, it has since spread to many other Scandinavian countries.

Lucia morning is celebrated in nearly every Scandinavian home, office, church and at large public events. Traditionally she brings coffee and saffron rolls. She is generally accompanied by a train of white-clad attendants

SUPPORTED BY WOMEN-OWNED NORDIC BUSINESSES ACROSS PORTLAND

Many thanks to all the wonderful Lucia volunteers and donors. This program would not happen without our Lucia Court chaperones, the dedicated Anita Schnacky and most wonderful Ann-Marie Pegnone, and our amazing Lucia Court coordinator, Sara Winter, our fantastic fashion designer, Eliza Bradford and our 2019 Lucia and Lucia court confidante Grace Pegnone. We thank them all for their year-long hard work and dedication to this program.

An additional thank you to Sara Winter & Jan Nielsen of Nielsen's Jewelers for their generous donation of custom-made necklaces to each Lucia Court member. We thank Mike Nelson, Dirk & Pirjo Schulbach, Carl & Marian Thompson, Ann-Marie Pegnone for their generous scholarship donations. Thank you to Daughters of Norway, Frida Hansen Lodge #37 and Anita Schnacky for their sponsorship and ongoing support.

Interested in volunteering or sponsoring this effort? Learn more here!