Chinese New Year 2019 Decoration Ideas: 3 Easy Ways to Make DIY Red Chinese Lantern at Home (Watch Videos)

The Chinese New year also called the Year of the pig begins today. The day is celebrated with family and friend's new year reunions and family gatherings, firecrackers and fireworks, and gifting each other red envelopes(Hong Bao (红包)) and other gifts. However, one of the most important celebration activities of the Chinese New year celebration includes amazing decorations as well. You'll see every nook and cranny decorated with beautiful RED lanterns. Chinese lanterns are considered to be an auspicious decoration item and come in different shapes and sizes. Chinese New Year 2019 Funny Greetings: Cute Pig Memes, Wishes and GIF Images to Celebrate the Beginning of the Year of the Pig.

While you may find the lanterns in different colours as well, Red is considered the most propitious colour for the festival. The traditional red and golden balloon lantern is extremely popular, and during the Chinese New Year, you will find homes, rooms, entrances, classes, office building, table etc. with these Chinese lanterns. You will see red couplets pasted on doors, and even banks and official buildings are decorated with red New Year pictures depicting images of prosperity along with red Chinese lanterns. While you can purchase these decorative items, DIYing the CNY decoration items at home are also quite easy and entertaining. Especially, the Chinese lantern-here are easy steps to make the traditional DIY Red and Gold Chinese lantern at home.

Easy DIY Chinese Lantern Using a Paper Stencil

STEPS

• Fold a white paper three times and draw lines on it in a way that look like leaves of a flower.
• Cut out the white paper and open the fold to have the stencil that you can use to cut red chart paper accordingly.
• While cutting leave a circular space at the end of each leaflet.
• Make holes at the circular spaces at the end of each leaflet and the middle as well.
• Tie a golden thread in the middle hole to let the other end of the threads flow below the lantern.
• And sew them together with weaving a golden thread to form a hollow sphere lantern.

Here is a video of making a DIY Chinese Lantern using a paper stencil.

DIY Chinese New Year Red Lantern Using Red Envelopes

STEPS

• Take about 7-10 red envelopes depending on what size of a lantern you want to make
• Stick them together from side to side to form a long trail of envelopes.
• Now stick both the ends of the long tral so that it becomes a cylindrical shape of a lantern.
• You can now use some more envelopes to decorate the lantern further after tying golden threads below the lantern.

Here's a detailed video of making a lantern using red envelopes.

Small Cut-Out Chinese Lantern Using Red Envelope

STEPS

• Cut out 0.5 to 0.6 mm of the edge of the envelope by its length to use it as the handle of the lantern. This will also open the envelope from one end.
• Now fold the other ends of upto 0.8mm of the envelope and open it.
• Now make another parallel fold in the half of the envelope
• Now make thin cuts on the parallel fold.
• Stick both the end together, and you will have your lantern in circular shape.

  Also, stick the handle on top.

Here's a video showing an easy way to make Small Cut-Out Chinese Lantern Using Red Envelope.

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is China's most important festival, and 2019 is considered the year of the auspicious Pig. Pigs in the Chinese culture represent the symbol of wealth, and the pig is a yin as per the yin and yang (阴阳—yīn yáng) custom.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 05, 2019 10:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).