In Japan, an ancient 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. Senbazuru, the group of one thousand paper cranes threaded on string, are traditionally given as a wedding gift by the person who has folded them, as a wish for "a thousand years of happiness and prosperity" upon the couple. Senbazuru are also often given to a new baby for long life and good luck.
The Thousand Cranes has also become a symbol of world peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who developed leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II, and spent her time in the nursing home making a thousand origami cranes in hopes of getting well. Sadako's story is told in the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr (1977).
(Information and photo from Wikipedia.)
Here is our favorite set of instructions for folding a paper crane, from the Informed Democracy website.
Our thoughts are with our sister Girl Scouts of Japan and all of those affected by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan.
