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Chinese Red Envelopes

Sent in by:
Shing Ying 

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What you need for this ZOOMdo:
  • six-inch squares of red construction paper
  • pencil
  • glue stick
  • gold paint or gold paint pen
  • other things for decorating
  • chocolate coins or something else to put inside your envelope
 
 
What you do for this ZOOMdo:

  1. One Chinese New Year tradition is that families give red envelopes to people they care about for good luck. Shing-Ying's parents give them to her and her sisters every year. Traditionally, people put money in them before they give them, but sometimes people put candy or chocolate money in them. Some people call them li see, but Shing Ying's family calls them hong bao - that means "red envelope."
  2. To make yours, take a red square of paper and put it in front of you so it looks like a diamond.


  1. Use a pencil to number the corners lightly 1 - 4. Start at the top and number clockwise - to the right.


  1. Fold corner number 3 up about an inch - or about the length of the top part of your thumb.


  1. Then, fold it up one more time.


  1. Now fold corners 2 and 4 in toward the middle so that they overlap. Then, glue them in place.


  1. Corner 1 folds down to close your envelope!


  1. Now you can decorate your envelope with a good wish for the person you want to give it to.
 
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