My family is ethnically Chinese so I grew up celebrating Chinese New Year with all the usual customs. We had family gatherings with big dinners. We burned incense to pay respect to our ancestors, and everywhere you looked there was red and gold. My dad used to tape large red decorative posters on every door, a tradition that stems from an old myth about keeping a monster named “Nian” away. The belief was that the color red and the light from lanterns would scare the monster away. Nowadays lanterns and red decorations are displayed in the belief that they’ll bring good fortune with the new year.
Here is my take on a traditional Chinese lantern. Chinese lanterns are customarily embellished with red string or tassels. I’ve simplified my lantern so the tassels are made of paper so the only string you’ll need is the string for hanging. If you happen to have red tassels or know how to make them you can easily attach them to your lantern in place of the paper tassels.
LANTERN SIZES
Your lantern download will include two sizes: a small lantern that’s 2″ tall and a large lantern that’s 5.5″ tall.
TEA LIGHT HOLDER
In addition to the hanging lantern, you’ll also get a table top version of this lantern that will hold tea lights.
You can place a tea light inside the hanging lantern but once it’s assembled the interior is not very easily accessible since the panels are all taped shut.
If you do want to place a tea light inside the hanging lantern, you’ll need to leave the cutouts open to be able to see your light.
Here is my list of materials and my video tutorial if you’d like to make your own Chinese Lantern & Tea Light Holder.
✻✻✻ Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I’m trying to avoid having ads on my site so if it’s a product you were planning on purchasing anyway, please consider purchasing through my links. I really appreciate your support❤️ ✻✻✻
MATERIALS:
Chinese Lantern & Tea Light Holder SVG
Cutting Machine
65lb Red Cardstock Paper
Kodamaa Gold Cardstock
Double-Sided Tape
White Glue
Small Paint Brush
Bowl For Glue
VIDEO TUTORIAL:
I hope you enjoy this project! Follow me on Instagram and Pinterest @chaivdesign to see my daily posts and sneak peeks of upcoming designs. Thank you for your support!
