Outside Oasis

What better way to enjoy pixie dust dancing, nearly suspended in the evening air than through the thin rice paper of Chinese lanterns. Outdoor entertaining becomes magical when its ambiance is cast with glowing warmth.

It’s not surprising, party entertaining and weddings now shimmer with such adornments as Chinese lanterns in an array of luscious sorbets. More recently, these paper luminaries have enjoyed increasing popularity.

Dating back to 230BC, scribes document early creations of paper lanterns in China, which made their impression on history when gathered in honor of the first full moon of the new year. This celebration became known as the Chinese Lantern Festival. Typically fastened to young bamboo, the decorative, hand painted oiled paper, gauze or silk fabric is assembled to the spherical scaffolding which holds a votive. The Chinese lantern symbolizes long life, and is the cat’s meow for good fortune.

Color and placement of these lanterns is very choiceful in China. They represent wires of communication to neighbors and the outside world. Shades of red announce vitality and energy, and if dangled over the threshold birth or marriage is publicized to passersby.
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When the Chinese Empire was divided into warring kingdoms during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD220) each military relied upon Chinese lanterns for strategic correspondence. Zhu Geliang quickly rose in power after establishing a warning system by way of the custom design on the lantern itself to neighboring ally communities.

Chinese tradition enthusiastically survives as scripted riddles glow forth on the lantern screen and decorators from across the globe appreciate their voguish.

Whether you’re embellishing an affair with Chinese lanterns, enjoy your favorite picture of the event as a whimsical watercolor painting from The Painted Memory, (http://www.thepaintedmemory.com/Lifestyle/) or the beauty of hand calligraphy, inked in gold on rice paper envelopes. Visit http://www.thepaintedmemory.com/Calligraphy/