Celebrate Martinmas with a Pentagon Star Lantern

The festival of Martinmas is traditionally celebrated on November 11. It honors the story of St. Martin, patron saint of beggars and outcasts, who was known for his gentleness and ability to bring light and warmth to those in need. These gentle lanterns of Martinmas help us remember to kindle the warmth and light in our own spirits.

During the month of November Josie, from @onwillowsbend will be sharing some of her favorite seasonal crafts with us. Josie is a homeschooling mother to five strong girls, living in Australia. They practice Waldorf and forest schooling and love to craft, bake, and explore the nature all around them.

Download the pdf pattern here.

Gather Your Supplies

• 2 large watercolor paintings
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Craft knife
• Printed copy of the paper pentagon pattern

Get Started Crafting

First you'll need to print the pentagon pattern, or draw your own pattern using your pencil and ruler. For a large lantern you'll want each side of the pentagon to be approximately 2" long. To make a smaller lantern each side should measure 1.25" long.

Trace this pattern on the back of your watercolor painting, repeating it a total of 11 times. Cut out each pentagon.

Use a ruler and pencil to mark the halfway point on each of the five sides of the pentagon. Next, draw a line from each halfway point to the next. These lines will be your fold lines.

Working on the unpainted side, use a ruler and craft knife to gently score along each of the fold lines, then fold the points towards the centre of the pentagon, creasing firmly. 

When all eleven pentagons have been folded in this way you can begin constructing the lantern. Use a glue stick to stick the paper pentagons together. Work slowly, making sure each one is correctly aligned and attached securely before moving on to the next one. 

Start at the bottom of the lantern and work upwards. Each folded point overlaps the pentagon next to it on all sides, creating a star shape in the centre of the pentagon. Attach five pentagons to the base pentagon and to each other, creating the bottom of the lantern.

To create the top of the lantern, first take your remaining five pentagons and glue down one of the folded points to its unpainted side. These folded edges will become the top edge of the lantern. Now attach these pentagons to the bottom layer of the lantern and to each other, working slowly and making sure they are attached securely.

We suggest using a battery operated tea light inside the paper lanterns. When the tea light is illuminated your lantern will glow with beautiful colorful stars, the perfect addition to your Martinmas celebration and a beautiful centrepiece for your table over the cold, dark months of winter. Use a hole punch and add string to carry yours along on your lantern parade.

Thank you Josie, for sharing this beautiful seasonal craft with us. Follow Josie on Instagram for more inspiring homeschool content and craft ideas.

We hope your Martinmas celebrations are filled with warmth and light. Tag us on Instagram or use the hashtag #BellaLunaToys to share your completed projects. We can't wait to see!