Planting of wheat on feast day of St. Lucy

On the 13th of December which is St. Lucy's feast day many Croatian mothers plant wheat grains in a round dish or plate of soil The seeds germinate and the shoots are several inches high by Christmas. Then the new green shoots, may be tied with a ribbon, if desired, and a candle may be placed near them as a symbol of the Light of Christ. The sprouted wheat is placed near the Nativity set where it will remind all that Christ, the Bread of Life, was born in Bethlehem.