Day of the Lights Lantern Idea

It’s almost time for The Day of the Lights, the big winter holiday in Aviandria. If this is the first time you are hearing about this, you can learn all about it here, but a big part of the celebration involves candles and lanterns. I’ve tried to come up with a different lantern idea the last few years (last year I did it, but I never got it posted. Naughty me) and this is what I have done for this year.

To make this lantern, first, you will need:

• Four straight branches about 11 inches (28 cm) long and about 1/2 inch (1 1/2 cm) in diameter.
• A square of wood. Mine came from the dollar store. (or, if you aren’t really wanting longevity, you might be able to use cardboard, but I’d double layer if you go this rout).
• A piece of string about a yard long (you might not need quite this much, but better to be safe than sorry.
• A hot glue gun and hot glue to go in it. (You might be able to use craft glue, but it’s going to take long enough to dry that you’ll probably get sick of holding it.
• Votive candle holder (optional).
• Battery powered tea light candle (not the kind that uses real flame, because I’m afraid that would be a fire hazard).

So, if you didn’t notice, hot glue isn’t exactly Aviandrian. My objective here isn’t to be exactly authentic, but to give some ideas we can use in the here and now to have a bit of fun with this Aviandrian tradition.

Start by gluing the branches on the base, so that they lean in toward the very center of the square. They will all need to meet in the middle by the end.

Tie the string around the tops of the branches so they are in a nice bundle. Arrange them around each other so they look good. If you want, you can glue them in place for extra stability.

Tie another loop of string to hang the lantern with (optional). Then you have a lantern.

Granted, it’s super boring looking, so I chose to decorate mine. I gave it a rustic Christmasy flavor, because I celebrate Christmas, and then I can use it for two things at once, but you could decorate it in any color/style you wanted. (I used a scrap of ribbon leftover from a previous year and some evergreen garlandy strips from the dollar store.)You could even paint it if that is more your style. I also added a glass candle holder thing (I know there is probably a specific word for that) so the candle wouldn’t slide around but that is optional too.

As far as the candle, I would strongly, STRONGLY recommend using one of the battery powered tea lights you can get at the dollar store or a craft store, because this lantern wasn’t made to be particularly fireproof, and it could be a fire hazard to use a real candle. Seriously, don’t burn your home down. It wouldn’t be worth it. If for some reason you discount my advice, be sure to never leave the candle unattended.

How would you decorate your lantern?