What is Christmas without some happy cheer and light! Add personal touches to the day of celebration by replacing plastic ornaments with bamboo ones. Bamboo, found commonly in the North-East region, is hard and sturdy but it is also very flexible and malleable. You can cut it into thin strips and make many ornaments with them. Not only will they last for many years but they are also completely biodegradable making our festivals more green.
For my home, I have made a star and a lampshade made of just bamboo. Here is a list of everything you will need for making the star:
Thin bamboo strips called waruk
Measuring tape
Adhesive
A sharp cutter
Pretty lace to add to the borders
To make the lampshade:
One block of bamboo about 1 feet in length
A marker pen
A drill
Process of making the star: Using the measuring tape, cut five thin bamboo strips into the length you want. Now weave the rest of the waruk into the shape as shown in photo. Now glue them all together. Using a nice piece of fabric or lace, seal the borders. The ornament is ready!
Process of making the lampshade: Bring home a block of bamboo, clean the hollow. Now using a marker pen mark the places that you want to drill. Drill those places. You can now insert a bulb to complete the look.
These ornaments takes just a few hours to make. You can reuse them for parties and functions. It is an excellent way to spend time with your children as you can teach them different ways of making ornaments.
This article is created as a part of the Adivasi Awaaz project, with the support of Misereor and Prayog Samaj Sevi Sanstha.
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