My two sisters-in-law are big fans of Hello Kitty so when I came across some Hello Kitty Ang Bao/Pow when I was last in Singapore, I bought some for them. I bought some for myself too and with these, I decided to make a lantern.
It is very common for Asian Chinese people to make Ang Bao/Pow Lanterns to decorate the house and to put up other wall decorations which I mentioned on my previous post. The more traditional ones will use a proper Ang Bao/Pow than the contemporary ones I am using now. Nowadays, the designs of the Ang Bao/Pow follows popular trends. You can get so many varieties of Ang Bao/Pow from square shapes to rectangular, from traditional to modern style of Ang Bao/Pow.
So this is how you make the lantern, you need:
- 12 Ang Bao/Pow
- Stapler
- Scissors
- String and Pin/Needle
- Cards (optional – to keep the lantern in shape)
- Chinese ribbons
Of course, you can use any type of Ang Bao/Pow to make this type of lantern. If your Ang Bao/Pow is quite thin and soft, insert the cards to keep the shape of the Ang Bao/Pow.
The string can be any colour but obviously it would look matching if it was the same colour as the Ang Bao/Pow. If you can find/get a Chinese Auspicious Knot or red tassel to add on, it will look great! As I had limited resources, I can only show you what I had.
These are the step-by-step instructions:
- Slightly pinch the middle of both long ends for easy marking.
- Fold all four corners as shown.
- Staple six Ang Bao/Pow for the top and the bottom of the lantern.
- Now join top and bottom using a staple.
- Use a pin/needle to thread a hole for the string. I used a transparent string in this case.
Hope you like it.