
Prayer flags date back to the ancient Buddhist tradition of writing sutras on banners or cloths that were then taken to be shared with foreign lands. As the tradition developed, it became common to hang a series of prayer flags outside temples or monasteries with each color symbolizing some natural element:
- Red (fire)
- White (air/wind)
- Green (water)
- Yellow (earth)
- Blue (sky/space)
These flags were intended to be public symbols of prayers for peace, compassion, and goodwill, to inspire any who might see them. Today, prayer flags have been incorporated by a wide variety of faiths including Christianity.
To create prayer flags with your group: Try the process called “faux batik.” In real batik, artists create images on cloth using melted wax and dyes, but that method takes time to learn
- Mix in a bowl or blender 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons alum (available in spice section at any grocery store)
- 1/2 cup flour
- Mix thoroughly to remove any lumps
- Pour contents into a plastic squeeze bottle (such as a traditional plastic ketchup bottle you might find in a restaurant, easily available at Wal-Mart). It's helpful to have one bottle of mixture for each participant.
Lay out newspaper on your workspace and provide each participant with a square of cloth, which can usually be purchased pre-cut and prepackaged at hobby stores. Invite youth to consider:
- What images or designs might you include in your prayer flag?
- What message of prayer do you want to send out into the world?
- What colors might represent the prayers you feel called to express at this time in your life?
- What message or values might you want to express in a prayer flag to inspire or challenge others?
Once the paint has had some time to dry: Thoroughly rinse the cloth in a sink, removing the alum substance and the excess paint. Stretch a clothesline in the room and hang the flags to dry. Challenge your group to consider where you will hang your creations so that they might be an inspiration to others during the Lenten season and beyond. --Brian
See more Lent ideas: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7.
6 comments:
what kind of paint do you use?
Alaina,
You can use tempera, but it's better to use acrlyic paint, perhaps a little watered down. Thanks for the question. I'll add this info to the post.
can this activity be completed with a group in an hour?
Ashley, you might be able to do the actual art part of it in a single hour, but that might be rushing it a little as you also need time to explain the process. If you are working with participants who are attentive and follow direction well, I think it could be done though, provided you had a few extra hair dryers on hand and some folks to help speed up that drying process. The finished flags could be hung somewhere at the end of hour and left to dry.
Are there other types of cloth that you can use?
I think you could use just a simple cotton sheet, cut into squares. Felt would not work, but it might be worth just doing some experimenting with the cloth you have available.
Post a Comment