How to Make a Wise Men Costume

The wise men are Biblical characters known for taking baby Jesus gifts in the Christmas story. Traditionally, there are three wise men who bring gold, frankincense and myrrh. The wise men are considered kings, so a wise man costume should incorporate traditional royal colors like purples, green and reds. If you're on a budget, use old bed sheets.

Things You'll Need

• 3 yards green broadcloth (4 yards for an adult costume)
• 3 yards purple broadcloth (4 yards for an adult costume)
• 1 sheet posterboard
• Gold paint
• Faux gemstones
• Glue
• Scissors
• 2-foot thin rope
• Glass vase with stopper top
• Drawstring bag

Instructions

1. Spread out the green broadcloth and locate the center. Draw a circle in the center of the cloth about 12 inches wide. Cut out the circle. Stick your head through the circle and let the remainder of the cloth drape around your body. Tie the rope around your waist to form a tunic as the base of the costume.

2. Draw a strip on the poster board at least 3 inches wide and 2 feet long. Leave the bottom of the strip straight. Add spikes or turrets pointing up from the top of the strip. Cut out the outline.

3. Wrap the crown strip around your head and overlap the remaining poster board. Glue the crown where it overlaps and let it dry. Paint the crown gold and let it dry. Glue plastic gemstones or sequins around the crown and let them dry.

4. Hold the purple piece of broad cloth horizontally. Place the center of the top edge on top of your head. Allow the cloth to fall down your back and on either side of our face. Press the crown down on top of your head over the cloth. This will keep the cloth cloak secured to your head.

5. Paint the glass vase and stopper top with gold paint. Glue on plastic gemstones and let it dry. Wear sandals and carry the gold vase as your frankincense and myrrh. You can also carry a "bag of gold." Cut small circles from the remaining poster board and paint them gold. Fill a cloth drawstring bag with the paper coins.

Tips & Warnings

• To save money, use a strip of cloth instead of rope.