Lanterns have always been a big part of celebrating Lunar New Year. They started as the sole source of light and have evolved into a form of artistic expression and decoration.
Materials
30 red rectangular envelopes
Double-sided tape or stapler
12 inches of yarn or string
Plastic bottle cap
Pen
Start by folding each envelope along its width and length and flattening it out again, making sure that the creases are visible. Then, fold the corners toward the center, using the creases you made earlier as guidelines for the edges of the fold. Repeat this for all 30 envelopes and make sure that your folds are the same for each envelope.
Now that you have your 30 pieces, you can start crafting your lantern. Begin by placing five envelopes in a circle with their short end toward the center and each of their corner folds against one another.
Staple or tape them together so that the end result resembles a star. Continue by attaching five more envelopes to the star’s empty spaces but instead of attaching them the short way, attach them along their sides so that it fits together like a puzzle.
Alternate between these two processes as you add each level until you have most of the lantern finished, making sure to leave a hole at the bottom.
Take the bottle cap and punch a small hole in the middle with a pen. Then, thread the string through it. Knot the string five to six inches from its end to keep the bottle cap from slipping, then thread the string through the top of the lantern, as well as the center of the original star you made.
The string beyond the knot and bottle cap can be cut. Finish your lantern by adding the last pieces to the bottom and completing the orb. Use the five-six inches of string at the top of the lantern to hang it up.
You can hang this decoration on a tree branch or hang it onto a hook.