About Paper Lanterns

"Better to light a candle than curse the darkness."
This Chinese proverb is frequently used and is particularly apropos to paper lanterns. Unlike candles with their hot, wavering flickers and unlike lightbulbs with their harsh white bites of light, paper lanterns suffuse an environment with a soft, celestial glow.
Sometimes as simple as a paper bag with a lone candle, or as complex as a globe banded in place by bamboo, the paper lantern has a variety of uses, as well as symbolic meanings.

Geography

Inside Architecture of a Paper Lantern

While paper lanterns have become staple decor items the world over, their origins and strongest ties are in Asia. And, while Japan, Thailand and Korea all use them for ceremonial purposes, the country that paper lanterns are most readily identified with is China.

Types

Example of Complicated Lanterns

There are five classes of Chinese paper lanterns:
"Baby's Bottom": These lanterns are miniature and are most often used as ornaments on Christmas trees for those who celebrate the season.
"Rolling Paper": tall and cylindrical
"Tomato Light": The most common, as they are the traditional round lantern.
"Crystal Magic": These are more complicated and require a certain artistry, because they are lanterns composed of various geometric shapes and must be delicately bounded together using bamboo or thin metal reeds.
"Buddha's Gastronomy": The granddaddy of paper lanterns, these are grandiose globes commonly used during the most important festivals.
Another form of paper lanterns -- the luminaria -- is courtesy of Mexico and the American Southwest.
Throughout Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona and West Texas, people take paper bags, fill them with sand and place a votive candle inside, lining streets and driveways with rows of these luminarias.

Significance

In China, paper lanterns are honored at the Lantern Festival that happens on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, also known as "Little New Year."
The origins of this holiday stem from a legend that states that the first time Buddhism began in China about 2,000 years ago, the moon was full and ripe in the sky and villagers swore they saw angles dancing in its wake. A year later, they wanted to commemorate the event, but were dismayed to see the moon concealed by clouds and no angels in sight. A scavenger hunt began, so to speak, to find all forms of light to mimic that gentle luminescence of the moon.
This hunt for the moon and its attending angels evolved into the festival.
In contrast, the New World Hispanic tradition of lighting luminarias is meant to light the way so that the Christ Child can come home.

Identification

Red Lanterns -- Symbols of Happiness and Chinese Pride

Aside from the classes that basically focus on the geometric shape and aesthetic of paper lanterns, there are also elaborate types.
The "Red lantern" is generally accepted as the most popular of all lanterns, as red, in Chinese culture, means happiness and was also associated with the country itself during ancient imperial times. Today, red lanterns hang high during New Year's celebrations, weddings and even business openings that are on a grand scale.
In contrast, a "Festive lantern" is not monochromatic, but is usually made of patterned paper shaped over bamboo shims. These lanterns are especially popular during the Lantern Festival.
The "Name lantern" is made of white rice paper and is painted with the owner's name.

Features

The basic anatomy of the paper lantern is quite simple. For the most part, the lanterns are composed of bamboo sticks, rice paper and rice paste.

Considerations

In today's market, variations of the traditional paper lanterns have evolved, so that no matter a person's taste -- traditional, contemporary, bohemian or eclectic -- there is a lantern for every decor style.
Stores that specialize in Asian decor offer bulbous lanterns in a variety of colors, from watermelon pink to indigo to apple-green.
Party stores both online and in shopping centers offer paper lanterns patterned with cherry blossoms, koi fish and floral designs.
Other extensions of the paper lantern come in the form of paper parasols that hang from ceilings or sculptured paper lanterns that stand tall.

Resources

• Paper Lanterns of All Shapes, Colors and Sizes
• Paper Lantern History
• Make a Paper Lantern