This year we celebrated Sankt Martins (Saint Martin’s Day) for the first time with Esmeralda. Nik had told me stories about making lanterns and walking in the lantern parade, but it wasn’t until this year that I got to witness the magic for myself. The holiday, a feast day in the liturgical calendar, is widely celebrated in Germany. It is a celebration in remembrance of Saint Martin, a soldier (turned Saint, of course) who encountered a beggar one winter’s night and tore his cloak in two to share with him. I loved the story and the celebration of giving. I have always loved Thanksgiving for its focus on gratitude rather than consumption. It often feels like holidays are just an excuse for consumerism, and while a little indulgence is wonderful, I see myself slipping into greed if I am not careful. Raising little ones makes me more aware of these things daily. I see exactly how what I present Esmé with is shaping her appetites in life. Her appetites for art, for food, for activity, for order. So missing a traditional Thanksgiving celebration, I was thankful for this sweet new holiday which gave us a chance to talk about serving others, especially those in need.
The evening of Saint Martin’s was like something out of a picture book. Dozens of children walking together through town, singing Saint Martin’s songs with lanterns all alight. We joined in with friends of ours, and tried only half successfully to keep pace. Esmeralda, just like her Papa and I, is a dreamer and couldn’t help pausing to observe every cobblestone and chat with her imaginary friends. At the end of the parade there were freshly baked cookies called “Honey Geese”, mulled cider, and a bonfire with more singing. It felt like the perfect initiation into winter.
But before the parade, before Saint Martin’s Day itself, we realised we needed a lantern. Nik and I both had our own approaches to lantern making, and though I know Nik’s would have been a sculptural masterpiece (he started making one out of paper mache) it didn’t get finished and we ended up using mine. It was so much fun to make, and would make a fantastic decoration all through the dark wintry season, or any time of year! I can even imagine making seasonal lanterns decorated with seasonal motives and found bits of nature.
Below is a little free spirited tutorial on how I did it. I hope you enjoy, and if you make a lantern of your own that you share it with me!
Materials:
Stick
Wax Paper or Wax Paper Bags (Frühstuckstüten if you’re in Germany 😉 )
Transparent Glue
Dried Flower Petals, Leaves, Other natural collected treasures… as long as it lays flat you can use it. Cut pieces of paper would also be lovely!
A Small String of Battery Powered Fairy Lights
Yarn or String (to attach the lantern to the stick)
Some cardboard to stabilise it (we used some from an old box we got in the mail)
Method:
I first started by cutting the paper bags in half and glueing them together to make one long strip that I would later fold in half. I’m not sure exactly how long it was but maybe around a meter, give or take. I then applied a light layer of glue to the whole surface and got to work decoratively placing my petals and collected leaves. When I liked what I hat made folded the long strip of wax paper in half, glue sides together and pressed down. I then glued both of the edges together to create a round circular shape. From there, I gently placed the lantern on the piece of cardboard and had Nik hold it in place (it was a bit wobbly at this point) while I traced around the circle on the cardboard. We then cut that circle out of the cardboard, then cut a slit and cut a smaller circle out of that circle (to make a kind of ring). Lastly poke or punch 3 evenly spaced hole in the ring. Glue the cardboard circle inside the top of the lantern. This stabilised the cylinder.
We attached the string lights to the stick by simply wrapping the battery pack/switch in packing tape (oh so sophisticated) and then winding the string lights around and up the stick, winding the remaining length together to illuminate the lantern from the inside. I used a little pieces of scrap cotton gingham fabric to cover the tape/battery pack and just glued it in places. Any bit of scrap fabric would do, but washi tape or construction paper would also do the trick.
The last step was to bring it all together by attaching the lantern to the stick and lights with the yarn/string and Voila! A magical nature lantern! We have ours still handing in Esme’s room, and every day it sparks joy!
Merryweather Living 