Chinese Wish Lanterns UK » Wish Lantern

Chinese lanterns in Remembrance

author — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:17:45 +0000

We hear of Chinese lanterns being used on many occasions in times of celebration, to realise a special date in someone’s life, or to recognise the coming of a new year or other annual holidays in which we traditionally give thanks and enjoy gatherings of family and friends. It has also been known for Chinese lanterns to be released as part of a memorial service for a loved one, where mourners are invited to remember, give thanks for, and celebrate together the life of their friend. Some choose to write wishes for the individual they’re remembering, on the lantern before lighting it, as a physical way of sending their good wishes into their next life. Finding peace and acceptance in bereavement does not come easily, and a collective, united way for people experiencing the same emotions and difficulties to do so can be a very therapeutic and calming thing to do.
If you’re looking for a way to celebrate the life of a loved one, please do get in touch and we’ll be able to suggest packages that might be suitable for you.

Birthday wishes with Chinese lanterns

author — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:25:39 +0000

Surprising your friends on their birthday is something really special- we all love seeing the look of shock/horror/bewilderment and ultimately joy when they realise their nearest and dearest have put their heads together to come up with something they will remember for a long time to come. If you or someone you love is celebrating a significant birthday (in our eyes, this means every year!), why not make their celebration day something even more fantastic with a display of Chinese lanterns for the guests to set off during the course of the night. What better way to show you care than to encourage the party guests to make wishes for the birthday boy/girl, write them on a lantern and set them off into the night sky. A magical display will wow them, and give them a birthday to remember. We can also provide a lantern display team to help your guests with unwrapping and lighting the Chinese lanterns safely, putting everyone’s mind at further rest, and meaning you, the organiser, can sit back and take a well-eared break from worrying about the festivities.
If you have any questions about any of our products or about hiring a display team for any event, please do get in touch and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Chinese lanterns and a history of fire

author — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:07:54 +0000

The Wishlantern team simply love lights, and lighting things (not in a pyromaniac sort of way, just in a completely safe and controlled sort of way); as we know, without a flame, our beautiful Chinese lanterns would be going nowhere. In celebration of this/in recognition of the wonder that is fire, we thought we’d share with you a brief history of the stuff:
- The controlled use of fire was an invention of the Early Stone Age, otherwise known as the Lower Paleolithic. During this time it was mostly used for the things we need it for today; cooking, bringing light and heat, and to help clear areas of forest for construction.
- Gesher Benot Ya’aqov in Israel is where the oldest evidence for fire being used has been discovered, with embers from the site dating back 790,000 years.
- When it was first used, if no wood was available to start a fire, the people of the Early Stone Age would use peat, animal dung, straw or seaweed to create a flame.
Of course, whenever you are handling flammable objects, please take care and make sure you are wearing suitable clothing, as well as keeping children away from any naked flame. More details of our products or safety advice for when you use Chinese lanterns can be found on our website.

Put chinese lanterns in your party bags

author — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:24:06 +0000

Chilcren’s parties can be a nightmare- not only do you have to ensure your little darling has the time of their life, surrounded by all their favourite chums, but they must also have the most fantastic entertainer, the best dress/trousers and shirt combo on the block…you get the picture. One stress that you can leave behind this year, whatever time of year their birthday falls upon, is the dilemma of what to put into the party bags for your child’s friends. It’s a tricky balance to master-the art of not spending too much money but making it look like you haven’t skimped either; treating the children, but not over-indulging. They have just stuffed their faces with your delicious home made birthday cake, after all. Why not buy a batch of beautifully coloured Chinese lanterns, and dish them out to your guests at the end of the party? They not only bowled over by your originality and creativity, but they’ll appreciate the opportunity to make a wish. Who knows, they may even have you in mind when they do so, and couldn’t we all do with a bit more good will?
If you have any questions about our products or would like to invite us to your party, please do get in touch. We especially enjoy chocolate cake. In case you were wondering.

Chinese lanterns and the Zodiac

author — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 12:35:32 +0000

If there’s one thing that we can be thankful to the great country of China for, it’s giving us Chinese lanterns, which we can use in numerous celebrations and special occasions, wowing guests with something really special. Of course, there is so much more China has given us, including Chinese astrology, and as a celebration of this, we thought we’d have a look at the signs of some of our team, to find out what they’re really like:

Sophie (born 1985): As a ‘wood Ox’, Sophie is a good team leader, and has great work ethic and enthusiasm. She can also be outspoken and quick-tempered though, oooh er!

Tom (born 1989): Tom, an ‘earth snake’ is cool, calm and confident, and knows that by working hard and using his common sense, he’ll reap the benefits. A great asset to the team!

Rob (1981): The ‘metal rooster’ that is Rob loves to analyse anything he can get his hands on, which is great seeing as Rob’s in charge of all the accounts, and definitely picks up on any discrepancies.

Other Rob (born 1973): Another Ox, but this time a ‘water ox’, the Chinese Zodiac says that Rob is great at understanding what other people are thinking and feeling- very important for a big boss to be able to do this, we think!

If you’d like to tell us about your zodiac sign, or would like to order some of our lovely Chinese lanterns, please get in touch and one of our team will be on hand to help.

Chinese lanterns at your after show party

author — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:49:00 +0000

Here at Chinese Lanterns HQ, we love taking ourselves out for an evening at the theatre, possibly wining and dining ourselves before the show begins, and luxuriating in sweeties and binoculars, intervals drinks and over-priced programmes…you know, all those little things that make the experience what it is. And what of the hard-working actors/performers/musicians/any other term with which they would like to refer to themselves, what of them once the show finishes and it’s time to celebrate all the entertaining they’ve been doing so well for so long? If you’re organising, or simply planning to attend, an after show party in the near (or distant) future, what better way to make the evening unique and special than to release Chinese lanterns. They look stunning in the night sky, or even in the daytime if you want to add a little colour to your release, with our variety of bright lanterns. We can safely say that they go down a treat, and the guests will seriously appreciate the thought and effort that you’ve put in to giving them something to remember of the night.

If you’d like any more information about our products, or have any stories or photos from a time that Chinese lanterns worked really well at your event, please do get in touch.

Chinese lanterns and the eternal flames

author — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:57:14 +0000

Naturally, we love Chinese lanterns, and the beautiful light and colour they create when they’re floating above us. Wouldn’t it be lovely if they were to burn eternally? For one site in Turkey, the flames that lick out from underneath the rocks do exactly this- they have been burning for thousands of years, and will continue to do so into the future. According to the Green myth, the story of the flames all started when Bellerophon, King of Corinth, was found to have been fooling around with the wife of Proitos, King of Argos. In revenge, Proitos sent Bellerophon to his old chum Iobates (another King, this time of Lycia), who pronounced that Bellerophon must seek out and kill the fire-breathing monster Chimera. A gruelling task, if ever we heard of one. Luckily, Bellerophon was in favour with the Gods, particularly Athena, who leant him a winged horse, famously known as Pegasus, to help him on his quest. After an almighty struggle and battle, Chimera was lanced through the mouth, and retreated under the rocks of the mountain where he previously resided. It is under these rocks he still lies trapped today, and all he can go is continue to breathe his fire…

Ways to use Chinese Lanterns

author — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:18:29 +0000

Naturally, the best way to use your Chinese lanterns to light them, and release them as you make a wish; this is precisely what they are designed for, after all. But we’ve been pondering if there are any alternative ways in which we might be able to use our Chinese lanterns? We had a little think, and have listed some of our ideas below, which you might like to try out for yourselves:
- Stunning table mats or place mats: Use them at dinner time to rest your plates upon, and your guests will be delighted to take home their hidden gift.
- As wall decorations: Take the lanterns out of their wrapping and unfold them so they’re at their full height. Pin them on the wall in any configuration you please. Saves wallpapering, anyhow.
- As a handy disguise: simply place the flat-packed lantern at a height so it covers your face. Incredibly effective in allowing one to avoid encounters with those one is trying to avoid.
If you have any other alternative, original, exciting or just down right weird uses for Chinese lanterns, please do let us know. We always like to hear what is going on in those heads of yours…

Chinese lanterns colours: White

author — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:38:31 +0000

We know that many of you will be devastated to hear that this is the final instalment of our Chinese lanterns colour blogs. To conclude, we thought we’d end on a high with the old classic, the stunning white Chinese lantern, which has always proved popular with our clients, whatever their occasion to celebrate. So here we are, loyal readers, we hope you enjoy the last of our colour blogs.
- White light is created when all the other colours in the spectrum, or all the colours of the rainbow, are squeezed together. Newton discovered that this was the case when he shone a beam through a prism, which broke up the light into fragments and revealed the range of colours present in the beam.
- The associations with purity and peace lead to white being the traditional colour worn by a bride on her wedding day, and also by religious figures, to symbolise their closeness with God and their own pure love for him. Our Chinese lanterns are also often used during wedding receptions, for guests to release wishes for the bride and groom.
- Black and white, particularly striking when worn or seen together, particularly appeal to babies and toddlers, as the boldness of the colours is thought to calm them when in distress. Take a look, and you’ll see plenty of picture books with this theme on the market.

Chinese lanterns colours: Red

author — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:24:50 +0000

You’ll be sad to hear that our Chinese lanterns colour series of blogs is nearly at its sweet end…but fear not! This is not quite the last instalment; we still have two more weeks of you being able to impress your friends and family with colour trivia. This week it’s the turn of beautiful Red.
- Our favourite Christmas present delivery man, old Santa Claus himself, although dressed in red whenever he’s depicted, actually used to sport a green outfit. It was the Coca Cola Corporation who changed him, to fit in with the red label of their famous drink.
- Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body, and are sort of donut shaped to allow them to do this; the oxygen settles itself into the dent in the centre of the cell, ready to be delivered where needed.
- Signs depicting danger or warning are often red in colour, as this is, scientifically, what grabs human attention most effectively.
- The beautiful red poppies sold around the anniversary of Armistice Day have become a symbol for the lives lost during the First World War. On wartime battle sites, poppies have sprung up in abundance. Some also say they resemble a bullet wound, with the black metal and the stain of blood around it.