Ready to light the Lohri bonfire? We’ve got a little one too – a paper version! Make this pretty 3D popup card for Lohri to give your friends and family!

There are some things that immediately draw people together. A cake, for instance, or a baby, or one of our favorites – a bonfire!

While bonfires are often associated with camping, they’re also lit on festivals or other special occasions. One such occasion is the North Indian festival of Lohri.

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What is Lohri?

Lohri is a festival celebrated in the Northern states of India, like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Delhi. The holiday marks the end of winter, and is a cue to welcome warmer days as the sun enters the Northern Hemisphere. It is generally celebrated a day before Makar Sankranti, as per the Hindu calendar.

So where does the bonfire come in? Fires were often lit during winter, for warmth, but the Lohri bonfire is special. Traditionally, it is lit at sunset in the village square, and people dance around it, singing till the fire dies out on its own.

People also toss things into the bonfire, like sesame seeds, sugar candy, peanuts and popcorn. This is meant to be a way to let go of the past, while some consider it as an offering to the gods.

In any case, it is a great opportunity to bring people of all ages together, and everyone has a blast! We’re all set to celebrate too, with a beautiful 3D popup card for Lohri – featuring a bonfire!

Gorgeous 3D Popup Card for Lohri

Supplies required:

Craft paper in different colors
Card stock or thick craft paper
Color pencils
Glue stick
Scissors

How to make the 3D popup card for Lohri:

1. Download and print the Sankranti Lohri Pongal Coloring Sheets. While this set features multiple festivals, we will be using the one shown below (page 6) for our 3D popup card for Lohri.

2. Once you’ve printed out the correct sheet, bring out your colors – it’s time to fill them in!

3. After coloring your sheet, cut out the excess borders. Now take your thick cardstock and cut out a card from it. Make sure the front of the card is bigger than your Lohri coloring sheet. Once you’ve cut and folded your card, stick the completed coloring sheet on the front of the card.

4. Put aside the card and bring out your craft paper. We need three colors – red, yellow and orange. These will make the bonfire that is the star of our 3D popup card for Lohri! Cut out three symmetrical flame shapes from each color – the red being the largest, the yellow the smallest and the orange a medium size. They should be symmetrical so that you are able to fold them in half vertically.

5. Fold each flame shape in half vertically so that each shape has a middle crease. Now take one flame shape of each color and arrange them in an overlapping fashion, as shown below. The middle creases of all three shapes should line up. Secure everything in place with glue.

6. Repeat the previous step so you get three completed flames. Fold all the flames sharply down the middle crease.

7. Bring back the card and open it so the central fold is visible.

8. Cut out a log shape from brown craft paper. If you don’t want to do that, you can take another printout of your Lohri coloring page, and cut out the log in it. Color it brown and fold it in half vertically. Stick the log at the bottom of the card, lining up the middle crease of the log with the card’s fold.

9. Take one of the flame shapes and use glue to stick it above the log, again aligning the middle crease of the flame with the card’s fold.

10. Take another flame shape and apply glue on the outer left side. Stick this part to the outer right side of the flame in the middle of the card. Do the same with the remaining flame shape, but on the opposite side. At the end of this, you should have a 3D bonfire in the middle of your 3D popup card for Lohri.

11. Write or stick a special message inside the card. If you find a sticker that matches, use that!

12. It’s time to decorate your card! You can use little flower or leaf stickers to decorate the inside of your card, or you could even cut them out from colored craft paper.

13. Fold the card carefully and press the crease firmly so your folds are sharp.

There you go; your one-of-a-kind 3D popup card for Lohri is ready! You can take hints from the images on the coloring pages to get ideas of how to decorate your card. Your friend will love it when they open the card and have a bonfire popup in the middle!

For more popup card ideas, check these out:

What is Lohri?

Gorgeous 3D Popup Card for Lohri

Supplies required:

How to make the 3D popup card for Lohri:

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