How to Make Paper Mid Autumn Moon Festival Lanterns

The Mid Autumn Moon Festival is celebrated in China, Japan, Vietnam and Malaysia. It is a celebration to mark the close of the rice harvesting season. The festival is marked by eating mooncakes and lighting lanterns. The lanterns come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes and are generally given to children to light as they watch the harvest moon rise in the sky. Modern lanterns can be decorated with anything from traditional designs to cartoon characters and are typically lit with battery operated candles for safety.

Cut a one inch strip of construction paper off the short side of the paper and set it aside for a handle.

Fold your paper in half lengthwise.

Draw a line one inch from the long edge of the paper on the side without the fold.

Mark lines in one inch increments along the paper. The lines should run from the folded edge to the line drawn in step three.

Cut along the lines drawn in step four and stop cutting at the long line drawn in step three.

Unfold the paper and re-fold it in the opposite direction so any pencil marks will be on the inside. Match the long, uncut edges of the paper to each other and tape them together.

Set your lantern on the piece of cardboard and trace the bottom. Cut out the circle you traced.

Cut four evenly spaced half inch slits in the bottom of the lantern. You then should have four flaps you can fold out. With those flaps folded out, place the lantern on the cardboard and staple the lantern to it.

Decorate your lantern. Use glitter and sequins or anything else you want, like stickers or buttons, to decorate your lantern.

Turn the candle on and place it in the lantern.