The young woman chosen to represent Saint Lucia in Finland is the first Black woman to play the part, sparking worldwide interest and racist backlash. Daniela Owusu is a 20-year-old from Kirkkonummi, Finland, and was selected by a public vote to represent the saint for 2024 in Helsinki.
Organizers of the event and Owusu herself have experienced significant racist comments and messages due to her selection, according to the Finnish news website Yle, including over 10,000 hate comments and death threats.
Who is Daniela Owusu?
Daniela Owusu, a 20-year-old whose parents are from Finland and Ghana, was voted to be this year’s St. Lucia by her friends, who said, they nominated her “for her positive and extroverted personality.”
Owusu was excited to be picked as this year’s St. Lucia, and told Yle, “It would be important to have a Lucia who represents multiculturalism and to show that Lucia can look many different ways.”
@folkhalsan Luciadagens morgon inleddes stämningsfullt med luciamorgon på Svenska Teatern. Inspelningen går att se på Hbl.fi. den Luciamorgon med Yle går att se på Arenan. Ge en gåva via Mobile Pay på numret 61638 eller via lucia.fi. #folkhälsan #FinlandsLucia #Luciamorgon #Luciafi #svenskateatern #Aktiabank #foryou #svenskfinland #fördig #sinulle ♬ originalljud – Folkhälsan
What is Saint Lucia Day?
Finland’s St. Lucia Day is the country’s version of the celebration of light against the darkness of the winter months. Each year, the country holds a public vote on who they want to be the symbolic St. Lucia for the year. Anyone deemed a positive influence on society can be nominated, and the young woman who is selected is crowned in a wreath of lit candles in a live-streamed ceremony at Helsinki’s Lutheran Cathedral every year on Dec. 13.
The history of St. Lucia Day stems from Italy, where a noblewoman named Lucia (or “light” in English) was martyred in 304 CE by the Romans for her religious beliefs, according to Britannica.
They write of the festival of light, “The festival begins with a procession led by the St. Lucia designee, who is followed by young girls dressed in white and wearing lighted wreaths on their heads and boys dressed in white pajama-like costume singing traditional songs. The festival marks the beginning of the Christmas season in Scandinavia, and it is meant to bring hope and light during the darkest time of the year.”
In a post on her Instagram page (@dani.vao), Owusu wrote (translated into English), “The past week has been so eventful and unforgettable. Last Thursday was the day we found out about this year’s Lucia. I was so happy and grateful when I found out it was me☺️ They felt completely unreal at first, but now it feels so funny and I’m so happy. This means so much to me and I will give my all to be the best Lucian I can be. Thank you to everyone who voted for me, it means so much❤️”
Reactions to Finland’s first Black St. Lucia
While reactions that are visible on social media posts are largely positive, Yle reported that there was a significant backlash to Owusu’s selection.
“The feedback has been directed at Lucia’s skin colour, saying it is wrong,” Stina Heikkilä, from the NGO Folkhälsan, told Yle. “There’s use of the n-word, that doesn’t belong in this country, and also things related to religion.”
@gideonhagstrom #greenscreen SHOW @Daniela Owusu👩🏽🍳🎀 SOME LOVE!!! @Folkhälsan #tiktoksuomi #suomitiktok #finland #finlandslucia #lucia #sinulle ♬ originalljud – Folkhälsan
One commenter on an article from Yle shared their family’s negative experience at the festival on Dec. 13: “Finland’s St. Lucia Day celebration is beautiful, and this year’s choice was a step toward inclusivity. However, my children’s experience at the very same event highlighted the gap between symbolism and reality. A Finnish woman shouted at them unprovoked and spoke to them in English, assuming they didn’t speak Finnish,” they wrote, adding, “For my half-Finnish fluent children, this was a painful reminder of the stereotypes that persist which reflect their everyday lives. While celebrating a multicultural Lucia is meaningful, true progress requires deeper cultural change—where diversity is embraced not just symbolically or for likes on a photograph.”
Comments on Owusu’s posts and across TikTok, however, remain positive and excited for Finland’s first Black St. Lucia.
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