On November 11th, almost all children in Germany take out their lanterns and go on a walk. Sometimes those lantern-marches can be very impressive. Many are even lead by a knight on a horse. This knight is a Christian saint, called St. Martin. The legend tells that he once shared his coat with a beggar. He simply drew his sword and cut his coat in two pieces. Later that night, Martin had a dream. Jesus appeared and told him, that he himself was the beggar, Martin saved. After this dream Martin decided to change his life and became a monk.
Tradition of Lantern Walks
In honor of him, German parents take their children on a walk with their lanterns, to bring the symbol of light into the cold winter night. Even though there are beautiful lanterns on sale around this time in Germany, many children craft their own. Here are some ways, how to do it.
Balloon Lantern
This lantern-craft is a little messy, so be sure to cover the table with newspaper, but it will be lots of fun for the kids. Mix some flour glue or simply mix some white glue with water. Blow up a balloon, round or oval ones work best, and tear newspaper and colorful tissue paper into different size pieces. Dip and drench the scraps of paper in the glue and stick them on the balloon.
Colorful Windows for the Candle
Make sure, that the top and the bottom of the balloon are covered with a nice, thick layer of newspaper to make the lantern sturdy. In the middle, it is best to have some thinly covered parts, even just with one or two layers of colored tissue paper. This makes the lantern more transparent, and provides colorful windows for the light of the candle.
Place the paper-covered balloon on a bowl and let dry overnight. Pop the balloon; it will come right out of the papier mâché lantern. Drill two holes at the top of the lantern and fasten a piece of wire, twist the wire at the top and stick a piece of wood through it, which will provide a handle for the lantern. Either glue a tea-light inside the balloon or glue a little candleholder made out of papier mâché in the middle of the bottom.
Milk Carton Lantern
Milk cartons, orange juice boxes or oatmeal boxes all work fort his kind of lantern. One way to make a lantern out of this cartons, is to cut patterns in the sides, paint the box with acrylic paint and cover the cutouts with tissue paper. Cut out stars, moons, leaves or planets. This version is very sturdy and will last for a long time. Instead of painting the cardboard, use aluminum foil to cover. This will make the lantern look very spacey.
German Lantern Walks Held on November 11th
Both of those craft ideas have lots of space for personal creativity. It doesn’t matter if the lanterns do not look perfect, the important thing is, that they are sturdy enough. Every lantern will look beautiful when the light shines through in the night. German lantern walks are usually held on St. Martins Day, November 11th. Children walk with their lanterns, sing songs, and celebrate afterwards with “Bratapfel” and hot chocolate, while adults drink “Glühwein”.
Josefine Köhn-Haskins - Josefine Köhn-Haskins is an award winning journalist, author and correspondent.
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