Gathering the Light
A social media event to help launch The Lightbringers into the world. A way of us all joining in together while we cannot meet in person.
Originally I had planned to do an event with Kenilworth Books to launch the book. We had an idea of doing a Lantern Walk through the old Abbey Gardens, to get everyone involved in making lanterns, coming along and walking the darkness like the Lightbringers do in the book. Holding our inner light safe through the dark days until the light returns once again. We are now proposing to do it as an online event via social media.
The invitation is to make a lantern as simple or as beautiful as you wish. We will all light our lanterns on the 11th November and post pictures of them social media with the hashtag #TheLightbringers.
If you can also tag Celestine and the Hare and Kenilworth Books in any posts, that would be really helpful so we are sure to see them.
The event will run for a few days afterwards too so don’t worry if you are not around on the 11th. We would like to gather in the light more and more over the coming days. Have fun, be creative and let us fill the world with some beauty and light to see us through the dark days.
Most of it will happen on Twitter and Instagram as that is where we can follow and share hashtags most easily. It is harder to see them on Facebook, so I’ll maybe do a post for you to comment on so we can see them all there. I will gather up images as I can and post them, hopefully together.
Facebook:
Twitter :
Instagram:
The book is published on 12th November. The day before, the 11th, is Martinmas, a festival celebrating St Martin tearing his cloak in half to give to a cold beggar. It is celebrated where children carry lanterns through the darkness, singing songs…
“I go with my bright little lantern,
My lantern is going with me.
In heaven the stars are shining,
on Earth shines my lantern with me.
The light grows dim as we go in
La bimba la bamba la bim.
The light grows dim as we go in
La bimba la bamba la bim.”
Use your creativity, imagination, have some fun making lanterns. This is not a competition for the best or anything like that, the joining in and adding your light is the important thing. It can be as simple as a tea light in a jam jar, or a lantern you already have with some fairy lights in it.
I’ll give you some ideas here to get you started but do have some fun doing your own ones too. There is a free download of the silhouette if you would like a copy to print out and use. A gift from me…
Papercut design.
Use a piece of card to draw a design onto it. Cut out a shape such as this one, making sure it is attached to main piece of paper. Glue tissue paper behind the cut out and then fold round itself or a jam jar to make a lantern.
Leaves
You can glue leaves onto a jam jar to make a simple but effective lantern. Fill with fairy lights or a tea light.
Tamsin from Kenilworth Books is making a beautiful big leaf lantern from leaves soaked in glycerine to preserve them.
Tin Cans
Clean any used tin cans you have and then draw a design on the tin, either onto paper taped on it, or direct on the tin with a marker pen. If your can isn’t too strong, you might want to freeze it first full of water so you have something to prop up the inside of the can so it doesn’t buckle. Otherwise, hammer a nail into the tin to outline your design, or for thinner cans you can just poke holes with an awl. Be careful of course.. the tin can slip when being hammered.
Silhouettes
For those of you who like to draw, you can make beautiful scenes by drawing sillhouettes onto card with a black marker pen, or drawing on the computer and printing it out. I did a scene of the Lightbringers walking with their lanterns. You can fold this round into a circle and staple together, put round a jam jar.
Click the Image to download a copy to print out if you would like to use it
I am offering this one as a free download for you to print out if you would like to use it. Click the image above.
There are lots of other ideas using willow and tissue paper, doodling on tissue paper etc. Have a look around and have some fun and please show us what you make.
I look forward to gathering the light together on the 11th and if you are coming to the book launch on the 12th, bring your lantern with you and we can all light them together then too.
You can buy signed preorder copies of the book from me here or from Kenilworth Books here
See Lightbringer page for details
The sunlight fast is dwindling.
My little lamp needs kindling.
It’s beam shines far in darkest night,
Dear lantern guard me with your light.
Much love from the Shed
Karin Celestine