The last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations is the Lantern Festival or Teng Chieh. It's celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

You can make this very easy Chinese lantern and decorate it in red and gold. You can also make lots of lanterns and string them together for decorations.

Safety: Do not use candles in these paper lanterns, they are for decoration only.

You will need

* Coloured paper or thin card (wrapping paper works well)
* Scissors
* Glue, sticky tape or a stapler
* Ruler

 

 

Fold the paper lengthways and make a sharp crease in the folded edge with your fingertip.

Use scissors to cut into the folded edge of the card, stopping about 2cm away from the opposite edge.

Make another cut in the same way about 2cm away from the first one, and repeat until you've made cuts all the way along the card, stopping about 2cm from the end.

Now unfold the card.

Roll the card around so the two short edges are together. Now you can see how your lantern will take shape.

If you're using glue, put glue down one of the short sides of the card - making sure the card is 'right' side up.

Press the two short sides together firmly so the glue sticks - or if you're using sticky tape or staples, hold the sides together and fasten them in place.

To give your lantern a handle, cut a strip of card or paper about 2cm wide.

The handle needs to be long enough to curve over from one side of the top of your lantern to the other. Stick the handle across the inside of the top of the lantern.

Decorate your lantern in the lucky colour red!

 

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