St. Lucia Day Star Hat

St. Lucia Day Star Hat lesson plan

Celebrate December 13 with children and families in Sweden. It's Luciadagan, St. Lucia Day, when children serve coffee and buns to adults.

  • 1.

    During a study of Sweden, invite students to find out about Luciadagan, or St. Lucia Day, which is a tradition followed in Sweden on December 13. On this holiday, the oldest daughter in a family, called the Lucia bride, wears a crown of candles. Her sisters carry candles. Sons, called Star Boys, wear star hats. Children serve coffee and saffron buns to the adults in their family. Provide students with several resources focused on the purpose of this celebration.

  • 2.

    Once students have sufficiently researched the holiday, invite them to make a festive St. Lucia Day Star Hat by decorating poster board using Crayola® Metallic Crayons, Crayola Metallic Colored Pencils, and Crayola Glitter Glue. Dry.

  • 3.

    Roll the poster board into a cone large enough to fit one's head. Glue the edges with Crayola School Glue. Trim off any uneven part at the bottom with Crayola Scissors.

  • 4.

    Cut out yellow construction paper stars. Decorate stars with glitter glue. Glue to the hat. Dry.

  • 5.

    Students compose a summary paragraph focused on St. Lucia Day which incorporates facts gathered during the reserach period.

  • 6.

    Invite students to organize a St. Lucia Day celebration in the classroom and invite parents to attend. Students wear their hats and place copies of their summary paragraphs inside their hats for quick reference should a parent inquire about the history of the holiday while students serve selected foods to visitors.

  • 7.

    After the celebration, bring the class together for a closing activity where they discuss what they have learned and make connections to knowledge of other family celebrations they participate in yearly.


  • SCI: Investigate and explain that for an object to be seen, light must be reflected off the object and enter the eye.
  • VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.


  • Possible classroom resources include: Hanna's Christmas by Melissa Peterson; Lucia and the Light by Phyllis Root; Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewe Rydaker
  • St. Lucia Day marks the beginning of the Christmas season. Students investigate a variety of winter holiday traditions in different countries and by various faith communities. Compare and contrast elements of these winter celebrations. Organize research into an electronic presentation for sharing with classmates.
  • The sun is the focus of the celebration on St. Lucia Day. Encourage students to research how sunlight affects the Earth, including animals and plants. How is light measured? How do plants use sunlight to live and thrive?