A symbol of peace - How to make a traditional paper origami crane

The traditional paper origami crane is probably the most famous of all origami models. It’s designed after the Japanese red-crowned crane. An ancient Japanese legend promises that if anyone folds a thousand paper cranes, they will be granted a wish by the gods. The origami crane’s popularity is largely due to a children’s book written by author Eleanor Coerr called ‚Sadako and the thousand paper cranes.‘ It is a true story. It follows a Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki (*7th January 1943 in Hiroshima, +25th October 1955 in Hiroshima) who was two years old when the United States bombed Japan at the end of World War II. Due to the radioactive fall-out from the bombs Sadako was diagnosed with leukaemia when she was 12. In the hospital she spent her time folding origami cranes hoping to make 1,000 of them. She made about 1,600 before she died of the illness.

In 1958, a statue of Sasaki holding a golden crane was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. At the foot of the statue is a plaque that reads: "This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world."

In remembrance of Sadako, the origami paper crane has become a symbol of peace and of resistance against nuclear warfare all around the world.

The Peace Crane Project was founded in 2013. Participants in the Peace Crane Project are asked to fold an origami crane, write a message of peace on its wings and then exchange it with someone from a different city, state, country or continent (https://peacecraneproject.org/).

Making an origami crane is actually not too difficult. All you need is a single square sheet of paper. Are you ready to fold? Then let’s get started. This youtube tutorial tells you step by step how to do it.

https://youtu.be/KfnyopxdJXQ

We'll use blue and yellow paper for our cranes, the colours of Ukraine and the European Union. You can write a message of peace on your crane and give it to one of the refugees from Ukraine that we will meet on Thursday.

Have fun!