Exploring Origami
Origami Trivia
The crane is the most famous origami figure.
1) The thousand paper cranes
The folded paper crane is a well-known origami figure. Probably everybody in Japan has made at least one. According to Japanese tradition, one way to pray for good health is by folding a thousand origami cranes. Sometimes if a person is very sick, his or her friends will work together to fold a thousand cranes and string them on thread into long chains, which they take to the sick friend. Chains of a thousand paper cranes ease pain and sadness and bring hope to people who see them.
An Edo-period book shows how to fold multiple connected cranes with just one piece of paper. (Photo courtesy of the Nippon Origami Association)
Since ancient times, the Japanese have viewed the crane as a symbol of long life and good fortune. Nowadays, when people refer to "a thousand origami cranes," they generally really mean a thousand. But in the past, the phrase "a thousand origami cranes" referred to a large number of paper cranes. The number did not have to be exactly 1,000. (190 words)
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