Chinese New Year Two Tier Ang Pow Lantern

Hello everyone! We are almost reaching the end of the Year of the Water Tiger and in 2023, we will welcome the year of the Water Rabbit. The fifteen days of the Chinese New Year start from 22^nd January 2023 to 5^th February 2023.

You might be wondering why do Chinese people fill their homes full of Chinese New Year decorations. Basically, it’s to fill their house with plenty of good wishes e.g. the whole year brimful with happiness, good health, wealth, prosperity etc. It is equivalent to how western cultures decorate their houses with Christmas decorations and ornaments with wreaths, candles, mistletoe etc. Usually, we hope the new year will bring good health, wealth and prosperity! Hence we love hanging a lot of decorations around the house.

So, what’s the significance of Chinese red lanterns? Hanging a red lantern in front of the door is believed to drive off bad luck. According to the Chinese legend, it is also to frighten away the Nian monster.

Let’s come and learn how to make this two Tier ang pow lantern (approximately 38 cm by 25 cm) to decorate your front door!

Materials:

• 27 long rectangle ang pows / red envelope (approx. 9.5 cm by 17 cm)
• clear packaging tape 20mm
• stapler & staples
• scissors
• 50 – 60 cm red string
• 7 Chinese knot tassels
• thick marker pen

Optional:

• 24 plain cards (approx 8 cm by 15 cm) – 200 gsm

You can use any colour of ang pow to make this type of lantern. Make sure that the design of the ang pow is the same though. Using multiple designs of ang pow to make this lantern will not look as nice in my opinion. I am using yellow ang pow on this craft as this is what’s available in store. The material of this ang pow is quite flimsy. Hence I am adding plain cards into the ang pows. If your ang pow’s material is quite thin and soft, insert the thick plain cards to help keep the shape of the ang pow.

These are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Optional – Insert 24 plain cards inside 24 ang pow before starting the craft.

   
   

2. First, let’s build the bottom tier of the lantern, you will need 12 ang pow.

3. To build the outer bottom tier of the lantern, fold the lids into the six ang pow.

4. Tape the inside of six ang pow portrait using the clear packaging tape to form a hexagon shape.

   
   
   
   

5. Now build the spinal structure of the bottom tier of the lantern. Fold the lids inside three of the ang pow and leave the other three ang pow’s lids unfolded.

   

6. Tape six ang pow (alternate with closed flap and open flap ang pow and so on) in portrait orientation using the clear packaging tape to form a book with pages via the side of the ang pow. Also flip over and tape on the other side. If you have forgotten to close the flaps for most of your ang pow, no worries, just leave it and you can use them all to secure with the top of the lantern.  I find three ang pow flaps are good enough to secure the top part of the lantern.

   
   
   
   
   

7. Tape/Staple one Chinese knot tassel on one of the ang pow. Personally, I would prefer stapling it.

   

8. Insert the spinal structure into the outer bottom tier of the lantern. The structure should hold very well without having to tape with clear packaging tape.

   

9. Now to build the top tier of the lantern, you will need 12 ang pow.

10. Fold six of the ang pow flaps inside of the ang pow. Please see the photo.

    

11. Tape both side of the six ang pow in landscape orientation using the clear packaging tape to form a hexagon shape.

    
    

12. Now build the spinal structure of the bottom tier of the lantern. Tape six ang pow (flaps open) landscape using the clear packaging tape to form a book with pages via the bottom end of the ang pow.

    
    

13. Insert the spinal structure into the outer top tier of the lantern.

    
    

14. Insert the spinal structure ang pow flaps into the top tier of the lantern, there should be a slit on each ang pow. This will help secure it onto the structure.

    

15. Fold an ang pow into half and cut in the middle. Repeat with two more ang pow to make six small ang pow halves.

    

16. Tape a Chinese knot tassel at the bottom end of the small ang pow.

    

17. Roll the ang pow using the thick marker pen and staple both the top and bottom joints together. Follow the same instructions for the remaining five ang pow halves.

    
    
    

18. Staple all six ang pow rolls onto the top tier of the lantern as shown.

    

19. Join the top and bottom tiers of the lantern by using the flaps of the ang pow from the bottom tier of the lantern onto the top tier of the lantern using a stapler.

    
    

20. Staple both ends of the red strings onto the spinal top tier of the ang pow.

Some people might prefer using a red colour ang pow instead of the yellow ang pow to create the lantern. This is the red colour version – see which colour you prefer. Let me know in the comments below.

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