Chinese Flying Lanterns

Flying Lanterns, also known as Sky Lanterns, will add an exciting new element to any party. Their mysterious glow can be seen floating in the sky for up to 20 minutes and will travel several miles. As the air in the lantern cools it will gently float back to the ground for a safe landing. Sky Lanterns will fly to more than 1,000 feet in altitude, providing an enjoyable amazing show for all ages.

For thousands of years Flying Lanterns have been used alongside fireworks in traditional Asian festivals to celebrate the New Year. They were also used as signaling devices. Countless were launched to light up the night sky as symbols of good luck, good fortune, knowledge and wisdom.

They are peaceful and quiet, allowing you to sit back and enjoy the show. Flying Lanterns are a novel way to entertain your guests. Enjoy them a few at a time or create amazing displays by launching them in clusters. The opportunities are endless for the Flying Lantern. Any social event, such as birthdays, weddings, beach parties, company or product launches, in fact any occasion when you want to grab attention. Dazzle audiences with a spectacle of flying lights. Use them in conjunction with fireworks or music for greater effect. Have each family member release one every year at New Year for good luck, or at the birth of a newborn for a long and prosperous life.

Why not have your company logo printed on a glowing flying lantern (bulk orders only); call us for details.

The Flying Lantern is safe and easy to use. It is made of flame resistant paper,and is 100% biodegradable. Flying Chinese Lanterns can be purchased from £1.75. Check out the product below to see the many deals we have on volume purchases. It allows everyone to easily participate in an elaborate firework show with great effect. Simply let the air warm up inside for a few minutes and release!

HISTORY

Hundreds of years ago, Flying Lanterns, traditionally called Khoom Fay, were launched alongside fireworks during festivals to offer the people a feeling of tranquility and to appease their worries. It was a way for them to send their dreams to the heavens. Armies would take advantage of their high altitude and long burning period as a signaling method.

Traditionally, Khoom Fay or Sky Lanterns were made of oiled rice paper with a bamboo frame carrying a small candle in order to provide the heat to warm up the air. Their invention is credited to Zhuge Liang, a brilliant strategist from the Three Kingdoms era in China. It was one of his most useful and innovative inventions, using the concept of hot air rising over cooler air, which was a novel idea at the time. This concept was not reproduced in Western countries until the 17th century.

Thousands of people would celebrate the annual Yipeng Lantern Festival in the culturally rich Chiang Mai, where they would launch floating rafts in the river Flying Lanterns to the sky to celebrate the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar.

If their Flying Lantern could be seen from a significant distance and rise very high, prosperity and good luck would be in their future. They believe the Lanterns would rise to more than 1,000 meters and travel for a long period of time.

Many people would offer a Flying Lantern to a monk in order to receive wisdom, as the flame of the Lantern would guide them to knowledge and the right path. During Chinese festivities, people would set off fireworks and Sky Lanterns to celebrate.

The local folk in Asia believe that as the Sky Lantern rises, it takes away their troubles and brings them good luck and fortune in the future. It is a promise of a good year ahead.

Today, they are available all throughout the Western world and are used in celebrations including birthdays, firework shows, weddings, anniversaries, camping trips and parties. In China, hundreds of thousands of Sky Lanterns are released to celebrate the new year of the Chinese calendar.