Make Your Own Beautiful Filipino Parol Lantern

In the Filipino language, a Christmas lantern is called a parol. There’s no greater symbol of the Filipino Christmas spirit than the parol. All through the Christmas season, star-shaped lanterns can be found hanging outside homes and along the streets of cities and small provincial towns, farms and fishing villages. For Filipinos, making a parol, decorating one and lighting a parol is an expression of shared faith and hope. You can make your own to hang this holiday season!

How to Make a Parol Lantern

Supplies

Printable template
Cardstock
Scissors
Scoring tool
Craft glue
Glitter
Decorative ribbon
Hot glue gun

Directions

Prep the Stars

Cut out two stars from the template.
Set one star aside, and score the other star on each point.
Start at the mid point and go directly to the bottom.
Rotate to the next point and repeat.
We used a scoring tool, but you can also use a pen cap or any blunt tip.
Fold each score mark and your star will become 3-D!

Decorate

Decorate however you’d like.
You can even have the kids use stamps, markers, or crayons to create fun designs. We used glitter!
To do this, run glue along each fold.
Sprinkle in glitter and let dry.

Assemble Your Lantern

Cut 4 pieces of curling ribbon and tie a knot at the top.
Repeat so that you have two ribbon tassels.
Cut another piece of ribbon to hang the star from.
Adult glues ribbon to the back of the other star with hot glue gun.
Adult glues the first star onto the second star with hot glue gun. Use a small dot of hot glue on each corner and match the corners up.