How To Make A Willow Lantern? The 128 Correct Answer

In ancient China, Chinese lanterns were used to provide light and as aspects of worship. Today they are used only for decoration and as modern forms of celebration and worship. Lanterns have become a symbol of national pride in China and are used to decorate homes and public places.

The most common lanterns are red, oval/round and decorated with red or gold tassels. They also come in many different shapes, including cubes, parallelepipeds, and cylinders.

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Chinese red lanterns

The History of Chinese Lanterns

Chinese paper lanterns originated during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) when they were used as lampshades or covers in ancient China.

Initially, paper lanterns were used to worship Buddha in temples. Mingdi (reign AD 57–75), the Eastern Han Emperor who is credited with the early spread of Buddhism in China, commanded the people in the imperial palace to commemorate the 15th day of the first lunar month, which later became the Lantern Festival.

During the Tang Dynasty (618–907), people began using paper lanterns in a more secular way to celebrate their peaceful lives and the power of their country, which made lanterns more popular across China.

Different shapes of lanterns

Features of Chinese Lanterns

In ancient China, the art of lantern making was a collection of handicrafts including Chinese painting, paper cutting and needlework. Materials used for lantern frames include bamboo, wood, wheat straw, and metal. Paper and silk are traditionally the most important materials. Popular illustrations on lanterns include landscapes, portraits of great people, dragon and phoenix designs, birds and fish.

Types of Ancient Chinese Lanterns

There are three main types of lanterns in antiquity: the palace lantern, the gazelle lantern, and the silhouette lantern. The palace lantern was the most commonly used type.

Dragon and phoenix patterns were the main elements on palace lanterns, representing royal status or upper-class society. Dragons were considered a symbol of emperors in ancient China. They carried the meaning of wisdom, prosperity, great power and strength. Lanterns decorated with dragons could only be used in royal family buildings in ancient China.

Types of Chinese Lanterns

Beautiful mountain or river illustrations on red lanterns express (wish for) harmony and balance in nature, the elements or families.

Riddle lanterns hanging from gates with riddles written on them were used to greet guests who wanted to guess the solution to the riddles.

Meaning of Chinese Lantern Colors

In Chinese culture, the colors of lanterns express different meanings. They are used for various occasions.

Red Lanterns

Red paper lanterns are symbols of wealth, fame and prosperity. Red lanterns are used to celebrate occasions of joy and harmony, such as weddings, business openings, family reunions, as well as celebrating some festivals.

Different colors of lanterns

Yellow Lanterns

Yellow lanterns were mainly used in palaces during the Chinese imperial era. Yellow was the color of emperors in ancient China, so the public was not permitted to use it. Today it is said that yellow lanterns can bring good luck to young students in school.

White Lanterns

In Chinese culture, white is associated with death or burial. In China, for example, white bamboo lanterns were often used at funerals.

Green Lanterns

Green lanterns are often seen at temple fairs or the Lantern Festival. Green has meanings of health, prosperity and harmony. Green lanterns are becoming more and more popular these days.

When do Chinese use lanterns?

Although there is no practical need for Chinese lanterns for lighting nowadays, they are still made, used and enjoyed by the Chinese during festivals or important events. Streets, both in big cities and small towns, are decorated with red lanterns during the Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival and Lantern Festival.

The Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is one of the best days to see Chinese lanterns. The custom of seeing lanterns on the evening of the Lantern Festival has a nearly 2,000-year history since the Han Dynasty. It was traditionally a great event.

Guessing lantern puzzles is one of the most interesting activities of the Lantern Festival. People gather under the hanging lanterns to compete to be the one who finds the most answers to lantern puzzles.

Chinese Lantern Festival

How to make a Chinese paper lantern step by step

Do you want to make a Chinese paper lantern to decorate your house? Here is an easy tutorial on how to make a paper lantern using leaves of red and yellow paper.

Materials needed: A4 sheets of red and yellow (or gold) paper (1 piece each), a pencil and ruler, scissors and glue

Step 1:

Fold the red paper in half, then use the paper and ruler to draw some lines perpendicular to the folded side about 3/4″ (20mm) apart, leaving about 20mm at the top. After that, use the Scissors to cut along the lines.

Step 2:

Roll the yellow paper lengthwise into a tube that will be the center of the lantern. Then use some glue to fix the tube.

Step 3:

Open the red paper and match the yellow tube with the red paper at one end. Use the glue to secure them.

Step 4:

Glue the other end of the red paper to the yellow tube, making the red paper shorter than the tube so the strips cut with the scissors spread out.

Step 5:

Cut off the excess part of the yellow tubing at the bottom or you can leave it as a decorative part of the lantern.

Step 6:

Make the handle of the lantern with the excess part of the yellow paper. And attach it to both sides of the lantern at the top. Now you have made a simple and beautiful Chinese paper lantern.

Take a look at Chinese lanterns

Are you dying to see Chinese lanterns up close? Let China Highlights plan your tour of China’s top attractions and see the wonders for yourself with our festival tours.

We offer structured tours highlighting the highlights of Chinese culture and history. Plan your own customized tour during the festival of your choice for beautiful photo ops and breathtaking views of Chinese lanterns.

This post contains affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.

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Add some boho flair to your home for less than $15 and in under an hour with this trendy DIY lantern!

I’ve loved the look of the tall, slender bamboo lanterns for a long time!

Not only are they great for both indoor and outdoor use, but they add fun style to an otherwise hard-to-fill space.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO MAKE A CEILING LADDER

If you have a corner that feels empty, break out one of these tall DIY lanterns and use them on the floor to fill that space!

My assistant Amber has tried hers on both her mantel and porch, and mine sits next to the love seat on our backyard patio!

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How to make a homemade lantern?

Follow the guide below to make a fun homemade lantern for your home!

DIY bamboo lantern

For a printable copy of the materials and instructions, scroll down.

Materials needed

How to make a decorative bamboo lantern?

STEP 1: Cut bamboo

Using the cutter or scissors, cut your bamboo poles into 22 sticks that are 20″ long.

For my lantern I used 21 bamboo sticks, however the amount used will depend on the thickness of bamboo you have.

YOU WILL ALSO LOVE: THE ULTIMATE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO DIY MACRAMEE

STEP 2: Glue the bamboo to the hoops

For this step you only need the inner part of the tires.

Take one of the bamboo sticks and glue it to the outside of your hoop.

We’ll start with the bottom, so you’ll want to be sure that the bamboo pieces stay evenly on the bottom.

You will now create your main post for the lantern by gluing another one directly over the one you just glued.

Then two more, resulting in 4 “posts”.

Now glue the top hoop to the four bamboo sticks.

Choose the shortest stick to line up for gluing the top as some may be longer than others.

From here, place the remaining bamboo canes between the main posts about 1/2″ apart.

Here you can trim any uneven parts if you like, or leave them uneven to add character!

RELATED TYPE: DIY SUNBURST MIRROR

STEP 3: Spray your lantern

Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area for this step.

Attach your handle so it can be spray painted the same color.

I sprayed two coats on my lantern and it was perfect.

Feel free to have some fun with this step 😉

I went with a natural, warm bamboo color, but you can really spray paint any color!

Yellow, turquoise or red would be fun color accents for outdoors!

STEP 4: Wrap with yarn

This step helps secure the bamboo even more and adds a fun texture!

First, remove your handle if you can and cut two 4-foot pieces of string.

Wrap the end around a piece of bamboo and secure with glue on the back.

Now start weaving the cord around each bamboo stick.

Continue wrapping the twine around until you return to the first wrapped piece of bamboo and secure the end with glue.

Cut off excess yarn.

Repeat this step below as well.

And there you have it! Now you have a beautiful bamboo lantern!

Doesn’t it look so pretty with a candle in it??

Also, the great thing about this lantern is that you can use it indoors or outdoors!

As promised, here is the printable guide:

Yield: 1 Lantern DIY Bamboo Lantern Print Make an on-trend DIY bamboo lantern for under $15! Active Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Difficulty: Easy Estimated Cost: $15 Materials Two packs of bamboo garden stakes

Two 6 inch embroidery frames

line

Handle (mine was from a cheap dollar tree basket, or you could remove a handle from a thrift basket)

Khaki spray paint Tools Wire cutters or secateurs

glue gun

Tape Measure Instructions Cut 22 pieces of bamboo that are 20 inches long. Using only the inside of the embroidery hoops, glue 4 bamboo stakes all quarters of the way around the bottom hoop. Glue the same stakes to the top hoop, then fill in the remaining space with the extra bamboo sticks. Attach your handle and spray the entire lantern. String string around the bars where they attach to the hoops (both top and bottom) and tape in place. Place a pillar candle Notes This lantern can be painted any color that suits your style!

As always, let us know if you have any questions!

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A Japanese lantern is a lantern made of colored, porous and semi-translucent paper, often used for decoration. On rare occasions, the term can also be used to describe a series of permanent lanterns, often ornately decorated in a design reminiscent of Japanese architecture. The terms Japanese lantern and Chinese lantern are often used interchangeably, although there are differences. Although they can be bought, many people prefer to make Japanese lanterns.

A Japanese lantern is in most cases a paper lantern, but it can also contain some silk. In some cases, the entire lantern can be made of silk. This is usually not the case with lanterns. A Japanese lantern also carries designs that say something about the culture, if it has any designs at all. This also applies to the Chinese lantern and Chinese culture. While it’s true that most westerners won’t notice any difference, many from this region of the world would take offense at the way the names are sometimes swapped.

The main purpose of the Japanese lantern is to serve as a decoration at parties that have an oriental theme. They are particularly impressive outdoors. Due to their pure paper nature, they are usually available very cheaply in party supplies stores. They come in all shapes and sizes.

The Japanese paper lantern is usually lit from the inside by a low-wattage bulb. The light does not have to be very strong for the lantern to “glow” well. In fact, a low wattage light is much better than brighter lights simply because the user doesn’t want the light to overpower or blur the lantern’s design and features with light.

Most Japanese lanterns are attached to a string, with occasional lightbulbs placed along the string. For example, there may be a light bulb every 30 cm (12 inches) along the cord. Depending on the size of the lantern, there may be even greater distances between the lanterns. Some lanterns are designed to be used with battery packs, eliminating the need for cords.

The materials needed to make a paper lantern are relatively simple: scissors, glue or a staple gun, and of course some colored paper. The rest is to cut, fold and attach a handle and maybe personalize it with some of your own design work.

Making your own paper Chinese lantern is easy and they make great decorations for your home, classroom, patio, bedroom… You can hang them individually, in groups, or put them on a table. This one is the easiest to make and using all the materials you probably have at home, all you need is some paper, scissors and glue.

Bright red traditional Chinese lanterns are an integral part of any Chinese celebration. You see them adorning temples and shrines, parks, shops, homes and offices and of course in Chinatowns all over the world.

Chinese lanterns come in all shapes, sizes and colors. You can try your favorite color paper, we’ll stick with red and gold, the traditional lucky colors of the Chinese.

Let’s start!

Make a Chinese Lantern in Six Easy Steps

Materials needed: A sheet of red paper, letter size or A4

, Letter size, or A4 A sheet of gold-colored paper , Letter size, or A4

, letter size or A4 pencil and ruler

scissors

Glue

Step 1: Fold the red paper in half

Use the pencil and ruler to trace lines perpendicular to the folded side about 3/4″ apart, leaving 3/4″ at the top

Cut the lines with the scissors to create the sticks in the middle of the lantern.

Step 2: Roll the gold paper lengthwise into a tube, this will be the center of the lantern

Secure it with some glue

Step 3: Open the red paper

Match the red paper you cut out to the gold tube at one end

Secure with glue

Step 4: Adjust the other side leaving some of the gold tube showing depending on how tall or short you want your lantern to be

Secure with glue

Step 5: Cut off excess gold tubing at bottom

Or just leave it as part of the decoration

Step 6: You can use the excess gold strip to make the handle

Glue on both sides at the top

Ready!

Once you have the basics it’s easy to try different variations, you can get really fancy here.

For example, you could add some gold embellishments to the lantern poles.

Cut the ingredients a little narrower, use regular scissors or shaping scissors if you have them. Just glue the trimmings before gluing the lantern to the gold tube:

We’ll try a few different shapes and styles including the most common red balloon lantern, a square box lantern and some delicate prism shaped lanterns that are great for hanging.

More Easy Chinese Crafts – Try These Next!

Let’s party!

May the new year be a very special one for you and your family…

fill each day with the highest level of health…

abundance of happiness…

abundant prosperity…

and Zen like serenity… Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái!

You can easily decorate with traditional or battery operated lanterns, paper cutouts, lucky coins and banners to add a splash to the celebrations!

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20 Easy and Unique Chinese New Year Red Packet Decorations

Chinese New Year is almost here and it’s the Year of the Dog! According to experts, people born in the year of the Rooster are very loyal, independent and sincere. Roosters are also very crucial! For all the busy dogs and everyone else, we have the perfect Chinese New Year activity. If you want to spend more quality time with your family and friends besides the usual celebrations, we share 20 easy and unique DIY Chinese New Year decorations with red packets that you can make at home. You can easily get the materials from Giant!

1) Traditional Red Chinese Lantern

Photo and DIY idea by: China Family Adventure

Materials needed:

Red Paper and Gold Paper (one sheet of each)

Two to three red packets (different colors)

pencil

ruler

Normal scissors

Funny shape scissors (optional)

Glue

tape

stapler

directions:

Using a pencil and ruler, draw vertical lines about 1.5cm apart down the length of the red paper. Cut the lines leaving about 2cm uncut at the top or bottom. These create the outer shape of the lantern when you connect the paper in a circular direction. Use tape to tape the other end that was cut together. Using scissors, cut red packets into strips slightly shorter than the red paper. Then stick one on each red stripe. Fold a line on the top and bottom of the red paper. Take a sheet of gold paper and roll it into a tube. Secure with glue before folding. Roll the red paper over the gold tube. Match one side of the red paper to one end of the gold tube and glue them together. Use staples to secure it. Adjust the other side leaving some parts (top or bottom) of the gold tube and create the shape of a balloon surrounding the gold tube. Cut two strips of gold paper 1 cm thick and glue them to the top and bottom of the lantern (red). Make the handle with a strip of gold paper and glue it to both sides of the lantern top. Cut the remaining gold paper into strips at the bottom to make beautiful tails.

2) Red Pack Chinese fan

Photo and DIY idea from: Paper Blog

Materials needed:

red packet

gold thread

cute stickers

scissors

Glue

directions:

Fold the red wrapping paper into simple 12-panel (or larger) zigzag folds and two parallel folds going in opposite directions. Fold it in half and glue them together. Choose one side and cut out two small triangles. Tie the gold thread to the bottom of the paper. You can stick some flower or star shaped stickers to make the fan look stunning.

3) Ang Pao Crackers

Photo and DIY idea by: ET Speaks From Home

Materials needed:

Toilet paper roll

Red packages (at least three)

scissors

Glue

aluminum foil

directions:

Cut two circles from a red packet to cover the top and bottom of the toilet paper roll. After gluing the two circles, use the remaining red packets to glue them to the surface of the toilet paper roll. Roll an aluminum foil into a small and thin stick and place it on top of the toilet paper roll.

4) Toilet Paper Oranges

Photo and DIY idea by: Crafty-Crafted

Materials needed:

Toilet paper roll

paper plates

watercolors

brush

scissors

Glue

red packet

directions:

Glue the red packets around the toilet paper roll. Cut the toilet paper rolls into rings about 2 cm thick. Cut several leaf-shaped oranges out of the paper plates. Color the orange paper plates. Glue the orange paper plates to the ring-sized toilet paper rolls. Glue the finished products to the back of a plate. You can hang this orange decoration on the wall.

5) Chinese New Year Red Package Basket

Photo and DIY idea by: Irene BL Chua

Materials needed:

20 red packets

Cardboard

scissors

Glue

tape

directions:

Cut six boxes to fit into six long red packets. Use tape to tape the six packets together. Cut a hexagon out of the cardboard and cover it with red packets. Glue the six red packets glued together onto the hexagonal box. You now have a red basket without the handle. Cut six strips from red packets and roll into small tubes. Glue them to the sides of the basket. Fold 12 small compartments with the red packets and glue them to each side of the basket (two on each side). Cut a long strip of cardboard and wrap it in a red packet. Glue both ends to the top of the basket to form the handle. Feel free to decorate your basket with small ornaments!

6) Wheel of Fortune for Red Packs

Photo and DIY idea by: Submerryn

Materials needed:

10 rectangular red packets or 20 square red packets.

stapler

scissors

Glue

gold thread

tail ornament

directions:

Fold and cut the rectangular package. Take two red packets and staple the middle to two sides. Do the same for the rest of the red packages to connect them. Connect the head and tail to create the wheel shape. Pin the gold thread at the top and the tail ornament at the bottom.

7) Cherry Blossom Map

Photo and DIY idea by: Crafty-Crafted

Materials needed:

red packet

White paper

water color

brush

scissors

Glue

Cardboard

directions:

Glue the red packets to the box. Cut a piece of white paper 2 cm shorter than the cardboard in width and length. Draw branches on the white paper and color the branches green or red. Paint your fingertips pink or bright red paint. Stamp “flowers” onto the branches. Wait for the paint to dry. Glue the paper to the red cardboard.

8) Red Package Flower Lantern

Photo by: Submerryn

Materials needed:

60 red packets

stapler

Red or gold thread

directions:

Form a red packet into a cone and staple. Repeat this step for the remaining red packages. Pin one cone sideways to another to make a petal out of five cones. Pin the petals together. Start with two and then the rest one at a time. Stitch the red or gold thread to create a hanger. Another do-it-yourself red package decoration is born!

9) Chinese fish ornament

Photo by: Angeline Lim

Materials needed:

red package

scissors

Glue

ruler

stapler

Red thread

directions:

Draw a line down the middle of the red packet to create two triangles. Using the lines, cut out the fish shape along with tails and heads. Cross the tails to get the shape of fishtails and staple them together. Loop a red thread around the fish so you can hang it on your tree or window. You can even hang it on your other red DIY package decorations!

10) Small Lantern Ornament

Photo and DIY idea by: Crafty-Crafted

Materials needed:

Red packet

stapler

Red thread

directions:

Fold the red packet in half lengthwise and make cuts 0.5 cm from one end of the red packet to the other. The cuts should end about 2 cm from the edges of the red packet. Staple one point from the end of the red packet and another point diagonally across it. Tie a red thread over the ornament and hang it up.

11) Dragon Doll

Photo and DIY idea by: Baabaabeep

Materials needed:

Cardboard

red packet

Five to six different colored papers

scissors

Glue

colored pencil

masking tape

sparkle

popsicle stick

directions:

Use a black pencil to draw the dragon’s head and tail (use your imagination!). Color them too. Draw the hands and body on the cardboard or red packets and cut them out. Draw the shape of your hand on cardboard and cut it out. Repeat this step to get at least 5 or 6 hand molds for the dragon’s body. Glue them together to create the dragon’s body. Glue the dragon’s head, body and hands together to complete the doll. Insert two popsicle sticks to form handlers.

12) Paper Fortune Cookies

Photo and DIY idea by: Kix Cereal

Materials needed:

red packet

Double sided tape

scissors

Glass lid or water bottle (round)

Pen

directions:

Use the cap or bottom of the water bottle to draw circles on the red packets. Cut it out. Fold the circles in half, but only fold the middle part. Open it up and fold in half another way. You’ll find the crease from earlier. Join two ends together and secure with double-sided tape. Repeat Step 1 through Step 4 to create more fortune cookies. Place your finished cookies on your table or in a basket.

13) Panda Stamps

Photo and DIY idea by: I hearts arts and crafts

Materials needed:

Potato

White color

Black color

Solid red package

Red or gold thread

directions:

Wash and halve the potato. Color the surface with white paint and start stamping on the solid red packet. Then use black paint to complete the pandas face. Tape the red packet to your wall. You can also attach a bow of red or gold thread and hang the red packet on your door, window or closet.

14) Candle Lantern

Photo by: Submerryn | DIY idea by: Crafty-crafted

Materials needed:

16 ice cream sticks

4 pieces of tracing paper

Cardboard

watercolors

brush

Glue

red packet

directions:

Cut out an animal shape from the red packet and glue it to the tracing paper. Use four popsicle sticks to create a square by sticking them together with glue. Glue the tracing papers to the square frame. Create a lantern by creating four square frames with tracing papers attached, then gluing the four frames together to form the lantern sides. Attach a square cardboard base to the bottom of the lantern. Light a candle and be amazed by your own red package decoration.

15) Chinese drums for children

Photo and DIY idea by: Gift of Curiosity

Materials needed:

Two paper or plastic plates

Red or gold thread

Two little bells

tape

wooden stick

paint or watercolours

red packet

directions:

Glue the red packets to the back of the plates in red. Tie the bells to two pieces of red string about 10 cm long and glue them to the sides of one of the plates. Stick the wooden sticks onto one of the panels to form a handle. Glue or tape the panels together and start playing with them.

16) Paper Plate Lantern

Photo and DIY idea by: Kix Cereal

Materials needed:

paper plates (yellow or red)

Vanguard Leaf (Yellow and Red)

Ribbon or Twine (Gold, Yellow, or Red)

Glue

Marker (preferably black)

tape

Red thread

water color

red packet

directions:

Cut each side of the yellow avant-garde sheet so that it is 2 cm shorter in length and width than the red avant-garde sheet. Glue them together to form a red and yellow card. Use a black marker to write Chinese blessing words like “fu” or “chun”. Glue the red packets onto the paper plate. Glue the red and yellow cards to the paper plates. Make a smaller version of the red and yellow card from step 1. Tape the red thread to the backs of the paper plates and small cards.

17) Paper plate fish

Photo and DIY idea by: Activity Village

Materials needed:

paper plate

Gold and Red packs

scissors

shaking eyes

Double sided tape

directions:

Cover the whole paper plate with gold and red packets. Cut a triangle out of the sheet and glue it together at the back to form a tail. Glue the googly eyes to the plate. Stick double-sided tape on the back of the fish and stick it on the wall.

18) Red Pack Small Lantern

Photo and DIY idea by: Sweet PHK

Materials needed:

red package

scissors

Glue

directions:

Halve the red packet lengthwise and use scissors to cut 1 cm apart (do not cut all the way through!). Join the top and bottom of the red packet to form a tube. Secure with glue. From another red packet, cut a thin strip for the lantern handle. You can hang this on your door or use it to cover your decorative lights.

19) Tassel Garland

Photo and DIY idea from: A pair and a spare DIY

Materials needed:

10 sheets of tissue paper in different colors (gold, pink, red and yellow)

scissors

2m rope

tape

red packet

directions:

Fold a sheet of tissue paper to form a smaller rectangle. Use the scissors to cut the tissue paper into strips about 1cm apart. Leave about 1 cm untouched at the top. Open the folded paper. Roll it up and then fold it into a tassel roll with fringes on both sides. Secure the roll with tape and fold in half to form a single tassel. Turn the tassel’s head and use the rope to poke through the hole. Thread the cord through this hole to attach the tassel to the cord. Repeat step 1 to step 5 and tuck the red packets in between to create a long tassel for your house or room.

20) Red DIY Packs

Photo and DIY idea by: China Family Adventure

Materials needed:

Red A4 paper

scissors

Glue

Black marker

directions:

Cut the paper into quarters. Fold the quarters into envelopes. Write your desired blessings on the red packet. Put money or small gifts in your red DIY packets and present them to your friends and family!

Celebrating Chinese New Year is one of the most anticipated holidays for Chinese people around the world. The great thing about these DIY Ang Pao decorations is that they are easy and cheap to make and personalize! Did you like these 20 Chinese New Year Red Packet Decorations?