Saturday, November 14, 2009

1000 cranes for a better tomorrow









We folded these cranes until fingers pain... thanks to our family members who helped too :)

An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy creatures (others include the dragon and the tortoise), and is said to live for a thousand years. In Asia, it is commonly said that folding 1000 paper origami cranes makes a person's wish come true. This makes them popular gifts for special friends and family.

Began as a project to collect paper cranes to be sent to Hiroshima for the 50th anniversary of the bombing. Ever since the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who was 2 at the time of the bombing and 10 years later died of leukemia, became widely known, people from around the world have sent origami cranes to the Children of the A-Bomb statue in the Hiroshima Peace Park as a symbol and wish for peace. Sadako attempted to fold 1000 cranes believing she would get well by doing so. It is Japanese legend that folding 1000 cranes (senbazuru) so pleases the gods that the folder is granted a wish. Sadako wished to get well. Her story, as presented in several books, has become an inspiration for school children world-wide to fold cranes in a wish for peace.


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