Lucia girls | Papercraft

Five little girls walk in an atmospheric St. Lucia procession. All are dressed in white gowns, and at the front walks the Lucia Bride wearing the characteristic crown of lights.

A charming paper cutout that captures one of the most beautiful traditions of the dark month of December. The white gowns and flickering candles symbolize light in the darkness and create a simple and almost solemn expression amidst the Christmas elves, hearts, and pine branches.

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 your other Christmas decorations.

The procession is especially lovely as a decoration around December 13th, but can easily be left out throughout the entire month of December. Combine it with, for example, pine branches, 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 look, where the five girls together form a small Lucia procession.

The white gowns and the Lucia Bride's crown of lights make the motif easily recognizable while giving the paper cutout a serene expression that pairs 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 of Syracuse in Sicily. According to tradition, Lucia lived around the year 300 and died as a martyr during the Roman persecutions of Christians.

Many legends have since been attached to her. One of the most well-known tells that Lucia brought food to Christians in hiding and wore 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 tradition of light

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 introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the winter solstice fell roughly around St. Lucia's Day. The night of December 12th to 13th was therefore perceived in the Nordic region 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 wearing a crown of lights and a procession of singers, has developed primarily in Sweden. During the 20th century, the tradition spread and eventually 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 become, first and foremost, 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 girls
• Printed on sturdy 300-gram paper
• A5 format
• Printed on both sides
• Figures are to be cut out by hand
• Suitable as Christmas decoration, hanging ornament, table centerpiece, and place card
• The motifs are hand-painted, and therefore the front and back may vary slightly

Missing the right tools?

For the fine details of 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 and a Linex cutting mat.