St. Lucy's Day Procession | Papercraft

Five little girls come walking in an atmospheric Lucia procession. Everyone is dressed in white dresses, and at the front walks the Lucia bride with the characteristic crown of lights.

A charming paper cutout that captures one of the most beautiful traditions of the December darkness. The white dresses and candles symbolize the light in the darkness and create a simple and almost solemn expression amidst the Christmas pixies, hearts, and spruce.

A small Lucia procession for December

Cut out the five girls and let the Lucia procession have its own place on a shelf, in the windowsill, or among the other Christmas decorations.

The procession is particularly lovely as a decoration around December 13th, but can easily be left out throughout the entire month of December. Combine it, for example, with spruce, pinecones, and candles to create a simple decoration with a classic Nordic Christmas atmosphere.

Hand-painted Danish paper cutout

The paper cutout is designed by Tall Hat Tales and has a charming hand-painted expression, where the five girls together form a small Lucia procession.

The white dresses and the Lucia bride's crown of lights make the motif easily recognizable and at the same time give the paper cutout a calm expression that fits beautifully with both traditional and simpler Christmas decorations.

The story of Saint Lucia

St. Lucia's Day is celebrated on December 13th and is named after the Christian saint Lucia from Syracuse in Sicily. According to tradition, Lucia lived around the year 300 and died as a martyr during the Roman Christian persecutions.

Many legends have since been associated with her. One of the most well-known tells that Lucia brought food to Christians who were hiding and carried lights on her head to keep her hands free. How much of the story can be traced back to the historical Lucia is uncertain, but the light eventually became a strong symbol of her. Even her name is associated with the Latin word for light, lux.

From Italian saint to Nordic light tradition

That a saint from Sicily has become so closely linked to the Scandinavian December is due to a special blend of Christian traditions and Nordic cultural history.

Before the Gregorian calendar was introduced, the winter solstice fell roughly around St. Lucia's Day. The night leading up to December 13th was therefore perceived in the Nordic countries as an especially long and dark night, and various beliefs and customs arose around it.

The Lucia celebration we know today with a white-clad Lucia with a crown of lights and a procession of singers has developed especially in Sweden. During the 20th century, the tradition spread and also found its way to Denmark.

Here, Lucia processions became truly popular in the 1940s and have since found a permanent place in December in schools, churches, kindergartens, and nursing homes.

Today, for many, the Lucia procession has primarily become a symbol of bringing light into the darkest time of the year - and that is exactly what the five little girls in this paper cutout capture.

Product information

• Unique Danish design
• Motif with Lucia procession
• Printed on heavy 300-gram paper
• A5 format
• Printed on both sides
• Figures are to be cut out yourself
• Suitable as Christmas decorations, hanging ornaments, table decorations, and place cards
• The motifs are hand-painted, and the front and back may therefore vary slightly

Missing the tools?

For the fine details in papercraft, we recommend a sharp hobby knife and a good cutting mat. You can purchase our cutting set for papercraft and paper cutouts, which contains an NT-Cutter precision knife with 10 blades as well as a Linex cutting mat.