The Legend of the Lucky Stars

 

A LONG TIME AGO IN JAPAN, THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL NAMED HOSHI WHO WAS FASCINATED BY THE STARS OF THE SKY.

She was absolutely in awe of them and would lie on the grass at night and stare at them for hours, wondering how the little bright specks of light could stay in the air for so long. 

One night while watching the stars, something happened in the sky that made her sad, and she began to cry. The stars were falling out of the heavens like a shower. So many of them were falling that she was afraid there would be no more. 

Suddenly, she had an idea. Hoshi ran home and came back with a jar and some paper, and she sat down to watch the stars again. For every star that fell, Hoshi made a paper star and placed it in the jar. That night, she made one hundred stars. However, she was still sad because many more fell from the sky, and she wasn't able to fold them all. 

The next night, there were only a few stars in the sky. Hoshi was worried, but she had another idea. She ran and knocked on all the doors in the village and told all the other children to come out. She explained to them what was happening, and they all wanted to help. That night they made two thousand stars, and every child placed their stars in their own jar. 

Then something magical happened. More stars began to appear in the sky, and all the children were happy. Hoshi said, "These stars are lucky because of us. From now on, these paper stars will be called lucky stars." Hoshi then looked up at the sky and said, "Whenever a lucky star is made, a falling star is saved." 

The children have all grown up now, and to this day, they still make lucky stars and place them in a jar. Although they have brought luck to the falling stars, some say that the stars have brought luck to the

How to make an Origami of the Lucky Star

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

• •Paper cutter or scissors
• •Ruler

Materials

• •Printer paper, A4 paper, Construction paper, •patterned paper, or origami paper

Instructions

1. 1.Start Folding the Strip of Paper

   Start with your strip of paper color side up if you're using colored paper or origami paper. Follow the steps according to the illustrations below.

   • Bring the right end of the paper over and down (top left square).
   • Bring the bottom end up and over the left end (top right square).
   • Now that you have a loop, feed the top end behind and through the hole (bottom left square).
   • Continue to pull the end through the loop, also gently pull the bottom end to tighten the knot (bottom right square).

   

2. 2. Make the Knot of the Star

   Follow the steps according to the illustrations below.

   • Keep wiggling and pulling the knot tighter, flattening it at the same time (top left square).
   • The end of the paper strip on the left should be much longer than the end on the right. Fold the excess end behind. You do not need to cut it off but you can do it if it's too long (top right square).
   • Fold the end on the left behind, keeping the bottom edge aligned with the bottom edge of the shape in the center (bottom left square).
   • Continue wrapping the pentagon. Fold the strip on top, over to the top left (bottom right square).

   

3. 3. Keep Wrapping the Pentagon

   Again, wrap the pentagon following the steps according to the illustrations below.

   • Fold the strip down behind to the bottom (top left square).
   • Fold the strip up and over to the right (top right square).
   • Fold the strip over behind to the left and continue until you only have a small section left (bottom left square).
   • If your strip is just a bit too long, cut it or tear it off (bottom right square).

   

4. 4. Finish Tucks and Inflate the Star

   Finish the star by following the illustrations below:

   • Insert the end of the strip inside the pocket (top left square).
   • Now inflate the star. To do this, use your index finger and thumb to pinch in one of the points of the star (top right square).
   • Rotate the star and gently do the same on all of the points (bottom left square).
   • You can get different results by pinching more or less at this stage (bottom right square).

   Tip

   Your first attempt at making an origami star may not come out as well as expected but keep practicing creating the points. If you'd like to try another shape, learn how to make a puffy origami heart or the flat ninja star.

   

"Whenever a lucky star is made, a falling star is saved."