Our Paper Starlights are hand-made in India. To identify their beginnings is difficult, as paper stars appear to be a folk tradition, impossible to pin down in time and transcending cultures. What we do know, however, is that each Paper Starlight has its origin in joyful celebration and festivity.

Across India paper stars are used to decorate people’s homes at Christmas, as well as being an unmissable part of the Hindu festival of Diwali, a celebration of Light.

Paper stars appear to have entered the folk tradition of a variety of countries and cultures, spread over wide geographical distances. In Scandinavia and Germany, a paper star is hung in the window at Christmastime and the Moravian congregations of Germany have been known to hang a 110-pointed star outside their church building for Advent.

 Over the years many of our customers have told us of star lights existing way back – in Ireland pre Second World War, Turkish stars, Egyptian stars, stars from China, Nepal and Laos.

 As the nights get longer and winter approaches, we meet the darkness with celebrations of light. We carve pumpkins, we parade lanterns, we let off fireworks – we greet the gloaming with a show of light, a burst of festivity – and a bright shining star.