On Friday December 8, at Roni Sue’s Chocolate, join us for a fun and educational Japanese origami workshop lead by NYLESA member, Shiho Mashiko. Learn the fundamentals of this beautiful, ancient art and take home your handmade objects to hang on your Christmas tree, give as gifts, or use for holiday decorating. The workshop, organized by our special event coordinator, Lora Wiley-Lennartz, will start at 10 am and will end at 12.30pm. A fee of $20 is requested to pay for workshop materials, coffee, tea and muffins. Confirm your attendance at welcome@nylesa.org.
Did you know that Japanese origami began sometime after Buddhist monks carried paper to Japan during the 6th century? The first Japanese origami is dated from this period and was used for religious ceremonial purposes only, due to the high price of paper. Origami butterflies were used during Shinto weddings to represent the bride and groom. Samurai warriors are known to have exchanged gifts adorned with noshi, a sort of good luck token made of folded strips of paper. One of the most famous origami designs is the Japanese crane. The crane is auspicious in Japanese culture. Legend says that anyone who folds one thousand paper cranes will have their heart’s desire come true. The origami crane (折鶴 orizuru in Japanese) has become a symbol of peace.