Three ways to craft the St. Lucia crown...

Three finished versions of the St. Lucia crown craft. The far left, is made with felt, wire real candles.
 The center, is made with golf tees and purchased holly sprigs. The far right, is made with yarn, 
 felt and paper. The white gown represents the purity of saints in heaven and the red sash, the 
blood of the saints on earth.

 The First St. Lucia Crown.

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

       St. Lucia is honored in both Protestant and Catholic churches in communities all across Europe and in the northern States of The U.S. 

       It is considered a high honor for a preteen or teen girl to be selected to represent St. Lucia. Traditionally she wears a white robe tied with a red sash along with her crown. 

       To be one of her maids is offered up to girls of a certain age in congregations based upon how many girls are enrolled in the congregation. The maids wear the same costume as St. Lucia but include a simple laurel crown on their heads instead. All of the children, both boys and girls carry lit candles.

       Boys are also a part of this procession; they usually wear accolades robes and sometimes a white conical hat, trimmed with gold stars. Read more...

• The St. Lucia Song in Swedish.
• St. Lucia Day - Swedish Traditions
• Santa Lucia procession in Cleveland
• Santa Lucia, Queen of light, at 29th Swedish Christmas Festival in Toronto
• Rick Steves' European Christmas: Norway

Supply list for the simplest and the first of our St. Lucia crowns:

Recycled oatmeal container.

• a paper cardboard lid from a recycled food container,
• green felt
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• eight golf tees, 
• green, white and orange acrylic paint
• sprigs of Christmas holly and red berries

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut off the bottom of a cardboard oatmeal container and cut an additional hole through the bottom of the container for the hair on top of the crown to show through. During the service of St. Lucia, a small white linen napkin is used to cover the head of the girl so that tallow from the candles does not drip directly on her hair. You may like to cut a small white tissue for your doll's head covering although you must only pretend to light the candles while playing.
2. Glue the tops of the golf tees to the dolls crown. Space out eight candles evenly. 
3. Paint the outside rim of the cardboard crown green.
4. Paint the tips of the golf tees orange for the faux flames.
5. Glue shredded green felt pieces around the candles.
6. Glue sprigs of Christmas holly and red berries to the outer rim.

Left, Glue the tops of the golf tees to the dolls crown. (tips up)
Right, Glue sprigs of Christmas holly and red berries to the outer rim.

The Second St. Lucia Crown.

Jesus said "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

The second version of St. Lucia's crown.

Supply List for the Second St. Lucia Crown:

• white typing paper
• variegated green yarn
• yellow, orange and red tissue paper
• tiny pinecones and red berry pics
• green felt for additional holly leaves.
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• a recycled plastic oatmeal lid

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut out the center of a recycled plastic oatmeal lid, leaving approx. 1/3" of cardboard in the center for the place to glue faux candles.
2. Roll up white typing paper into tight narrow tubes and cut these to a variety of lengths. These tubes will become the candles.
3. Glue eight of them to the inside rim of your lid with equal spacing between each one. 
4. Use a hot glue gun to drip faux looking candle wax around the upper edges of each candle.
5. Wrap variegated green yarn around the oatmeal lid to cover the outside and inside rims between the faux candles, using glue to hold it in place.
6. Now you can weave a pretty pattern with the yarn around the candles several layers up their sides.
7. Hot glue tiny pinecones and red berry pics to the outside rim for additional decoration.
8. Tear or cut red, orange and yellow flames from tissue and glue these inside the holes at the top of your candles for fake flames.

Left, the inner parts of the recycled plastic oatmeal lid are cut away for the crown. Right,
Use a hot glue gun to drip faux looking candle wax around the upper edges of each candle.

Above you can see that I have woven the yarn both around the outer rim of the crown to cover all of it's 
parts and also between the candles. The weaving between the eight candles (the number 8 is most 
traditional) reveals the Star of David or the Magen David. Jesus was the direct descendent of King
 David through both of his parents. That lineage being the house of sacrifice and kings, and 
consequently the burden of all followers, like Lussi.

Left, a penny to show size proportions. Right, the crown is ready for flames and decorations.

Third and final variation of our St. Lucia crowns has the traditional arc shaped to follow the head of the wearer. 
Right you can see all three crowns together.

The Third St. Lucia Crown.

 "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5

Supply list for the third crown version: 

• cardboard
• green acrylic paint
• white candles
• hot glue and hot glue gun 
• masking tape
• old plastic drywall anchors
• at least four color variations of green felt 
• tiny red pom-poms 
• green yarn, and wire

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. The third version of our St. Lucia crown craft uses actual white birthday candles for display purposes only. If you feel that a child might be too tempted to light these, use paper tubes instead!
2. Measure the circumference of the doll's head using either a tape measure of piece of yarn that you can hold up to a ruler. 
3. Cut a long narrow piece of cardboard to equal this same measurement. You may try it on the doll's head to insure that it fits before continuing. 
4. Cover this crown with masking tape. 
5. Hot glue eight plastic drywall anchors around it's edges. Space these anchors evenly.
6. Mask with tape around the anchors.
7. Use green paint to cover all of these parts.
8. Now wire the arch for the top of the crown in an X shape, wrapping the ends firmly around the inside and out of the crown.
9. Cut long strips of green felt and clip a fringe on one half of these.
10. Wrap and glue these fringed felt strips around lengths of yarn. 
11. Wrap the yarn around the wire. 
12. Glue the more fringed felt directly to the crown edges, overlapping a bit in order to cover the crown completely.
13. Stick the white birthday candles into the drywall anchors. If these are too loose to stand on their own. wrap the bottom edges of the candles with aluminum foil and reinsert. 

Left, Mask with tape around the anchors. Right, Use green paint to cover all of these parts

Left, Cut long strips of green felt and clip a fringe. Center, Wrap and glue these fringed felt strips around
 lengths of yarn. Right, Glue the more fringed felt directly to the crown edges, overlapping a bit in order to
 cover the crown completely.

The students from music classes in Gothenburg and Växjö

sing the St. Lucia service.