Saffron Bun Day in Sweden Date in the current year: December 13, 2025

Lucia of Syracuse, better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman Christian martyr who was tortured and killed during the Diocletian persecution of Christians. Her feast day, December 13, falls during Advent and is especially popular in the Nordic countries with their long and dark winters, as Saint Lucy is commonly associated with light.

Saint Lucy’s Day has been celebrated in Sweden in its current form since the early 20th century. Its celebration usually involves a candlelight procession in which people holding candles are led by a girl representing Saint Lucy, wearing a white gown, a red sash, and a crown of candles. Some procession participants are dressed in white like the girl playing Lucy, while others may be dressed as Christmas characters such as Santa’s elves and gingerbread men.

Another popular tradition on Saint Lucy’s Day is the baking and eating of Saint Lucia buns. Called lussekatter or lussebullar in Swedish, they are commonly known as saffron buns in English. Saffron buns are rich, yeast-leavened wheat buns flavored with saffron and decorated with raisins. Although they are primarily associated with Saint Lucy’s Day in Sweden, the buns are eaten throughout the Christmas season.

It is generally believed that the tradition of baking sweet buns during the holiday season originated in northern Germany and the Netherlands around the 17th century and spread to Sweden from there. Saffron buns come in a variety of shapes, but those baked during Advent are usually S-shaped, with the ends rolled in opposite directions and a raisin placed in the center of each spiral. In addition to raisins, saffron buns can be garnished with pearl sugar or almonds. Yellow food coloring is sometimes added to the dough to make it brighter and save on the expensive saffron.

Even if you don’t live in Sweden, you can celebrate Saffron Bun Day by treating yourself to these delicious buns, which are pretty easy to make. Start by heating ¾ cup milk, ½ tsp saffron threads and 1 tsp sugar in a small saucepan until the milk is steamy. Remove from heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Allow the milk cool until warm. Then sprinkle a packet of active dry yeast over the milk and let sit for about 10 minutes (until the mixture begins to bubble and become foamy).

Meanwhile, whisk together 3 ½ cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the saffron-infused yeast mixture, ¼ cup softened butter, ¼ cup sour cream, and 2 large eggs. Mix the ingredients until well combined and knead the dough, adding more flour if needed. The dough should be a little sticky, but easy to handle. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1–2 hours (until doubled in size).

Gently press the dough down and knead a little. Divide the dough into 12–14 pieces. Form each piece into a ball, then roll each ball into a strip about 14 inches long. Curl the ends in opposite directions to form S-shaped buns with spirals at each end. Place the buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Whisk an egg, brush the buns with the egg, and place a raisin in the center of each spiral. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.