Make a Christmas Lantern

A Chinese Lantern is a traditional decoration used for celebrations like Christmas, New Years and various other holidays. Lanterns usually welcome the celebration and make such vibrant with color and bring joy to the celebration.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. People get excited about parties, gift-giving and of course decorating Christmas trees and their homes. One decorative piece that should always be included in your festive decorations is a Christmas lantern. It symbolizes the star that served as a guide to the three kings that led them to Bethlehem to see the newborn Jesus. It also symbolizes hope as it may be seen as a light amidst the darkness.

Another kind of Chinese Lantern lights up the night sky.

Christmas lanterns are usually seen on doors, in windows as well as outdoors like your patio or lawn. The lanterns come in different designs, shapes colors and styles. Some lanterns are made out of recycled materials, some are decorated with lights and some are simple. Some also are made up of indigenous materials such as the leaves of trees, bay leaves and any raw materials that inspire the imagination. In the Philippines, they come in different styles and shapes. Commonly, they are made out of bamboo covered by newspaper. Designs also include putting an ornament to it and covering it with recyclable or organic materials. A common shape for a lantern is a star but they are also made into spheres, circles, and various other shapes. These days they can be seen made out of almost anything.

• 2 30-inch bamboo sticks
• thin wire
• thread
• glue
• colored paper; it can be Japanese paper or gift wrap
• pencil
• scissors
• tape
• tinsel

1. 1
   Form a circle out of the bamboo sticks using the thread (bamboo is bendable)

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2. 2
   Make a frame of a five-pointed star using the wire strips

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   Twist the ends of the wire strips into the circle to form a star.

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3. 3
   Get the colored paper and draw a star unto it

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   Cut it out 2 stars out of rice paper, or wrapping paper. One will cover the front and the other the back.

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4. 4
   Glue the first cut colored paper into the front side of the star

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   And then glue the other into the backside.

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5. 5
   Add some details to your lantern.

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• You can also make four-sided lantern, eight sided, ten sided or more if you wish to. You only need to follow the steps provided and use bamboo sticks to add sides.

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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