Fame is being interviewed by the Ubyssey

Pretty excited as I was interviewed by the UBC newspaper this week! Short little blurb discussing our Lucia.

http://ubyssey.ca/features/our-campus-fiona-thompson-brings-swedish-carol-festival-to-ubc/

Our Campus: Fiona Thompson brings festival of light to UBC winter

By: Andrew Bates
November 28, 2012, 2:11pm PST

It takes a lot of work to bring light to the wintertime.

“Last night we were baking all of our saffron buns for the performance,” said Fiona Thompson, organizer of the eighth annual Lucia Celebration, a Swedish Christmas carol organized by the UBC Scandinavian and Nordic Cultural Association. “It’s been challenging. I have a paper due on Friday that hasn’t been started yet because I’ve been putting a lot of time into Lucia.”

The Lucia Celebration, set for Friday in the Meekison Arts Student Space, emulates the Swedish tradition of Santa Lucia, where men and women dress up in robes to sing Swedish Christmas carols. One singer plays St. Lucia every year, wearing a red sash and iron crown covered in candles. Swedish buttered treats are served.

“Lucia is the bringer of light in the darkness, and a time to bring in baked goods,” Thompson said, “getting together and singing all about the Christmas traditions. It’s a celebration of the beginning of the Advent season as well.

Thompson, 22, is in her fifth year of natural resources conservation in the Faculty of Forestry. She spent last year on exchange in Uppsala, Sweden, and plans to move back after she finishes her degree.
“I really, really fell in love with the place, the landscape, the culture and the tradition,” she said. “I really felt a connection with that, and I really love the schooling and the way the society works.”

Though a roommate had brought her to the Lucia Celebration at UBC before she went on exchange, seeing the performance in Sweden was a lot different. “They have a much larger group of people who are more interested in singing, and of course most people in Sweden actually speak Swedish, so it’s a lot easier to learn Swedish songs,” she said. “They had a lot of participants … and buttered snacks for everybody, and a lot of people went to watch.”

Though the Scandinavian and Nordic Cultural Celebration has connections in the Scandinavian community, it was a challenge for the group to find time to practice; the UBC Lucia will involve 11 singers. “Finding a time that everyone can get together is also very challenging, because we don’t have people that we can switch out if somebody can’t come,” he said. “We had to find willing participants, of course: people who are both interested in Swedish traditions and Scandinavia in general, and people who are willing to actually put in time to actually come and sing with us.”

The singer who will play Lucia this year is Thompson’s housemate, who has some choral experience. Thompson herself was involved in orchestra since the age of 10, playing the clarinet, but wasn’t able to pick music back up in university until now. “I just couldn’t find the time and it wasn’t so much of a passion that I stuck with it,” she said. “So I miss it.”

Christmas is Thompson’s favourite holiday; she looks forward to starting the festive season with Lucia. “[Lucia] is sort of the beginning of the connection to Christmas celebrations, I would say,” she said. “The way that it’s organized, everybody’s got candles, the lights are all turned down, it’s really cozy.”

For Thompson, the only thing missing at UBC is snow on the ground.
“But I am moving to Sweden, after all, and there’s plenty of it there.”

 

Lussekatter recept

Saint Lucia Buns (Lussekatter):
Adapted from Dooley, B. Savouring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland (2004)

Ingredients: 2/3 cup milk, 2 tsp toasted saffron threads (about 1g), 2-2.5 tbsp yeast (or 50g fresh), 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 F), 1 stick butter + a little extra melted, 2 eggs, 1 tsp salt, 5-6 cups flour, vegetable oil, raisins. Optional: pearl sugar.

Tools: skillet, wooden spoon, small saucepan, small bowl, large bowl, spatula, floured surface, large knife, damp cloth, greased baking pans, pastry brush (or small spoon if you don't have one)

Instructions: Place the saffron in a dry, heavy skillet and toast over medium-high heat for several seconds, stirring with a wooden spoon until the threads become slightly darker. Toasting the saffron threads before steeping them in hot milk gives the bread its intense flavour and rich color. 

Scald the milk in a small pan by bringing it just to a boil and removing it from the heat; then set it aside, add the saffron threads, and allow to cool to lukewarm. 

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the milk mixture, yeast mixture, butter, egg, salt, and flour. Mix until smooth. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until smooth. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with damp paper towels or clean damp cloth, and allow to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

(if it isn't rising: 1. your yeast may not be fresh, 2. your water was too hot and your yeast is dead, 3. your water wasn't warm enough and your yeast isn't active, 4. the area isn't warm enough... try placing the bowl on top of your oven or another warm place. 1-3 are not fixable... start again.)

Punch the dough down and divide it into about 24-36 parts (depending on how big you want them to be). Roll out each piece into a snake, thinner at the ends, and roll up into a reverse S shape. Put the buns on greased baking sheets spaced enough to allow them to rise more. Brush the tops with melted butter and allow them to rise until doubled. 

Brush the egg mixed with 1 tbsp water lightly over the buns. Press in raisins to the curls of the S. Sprinkle the buns with sugar (if desired) and bake them in a preheated 175 C / 350 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.