A paper lantern is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply a paper bag with a candle placed inside, although more complicated lanterns consist of a collapsible bamboo or metal frame of hoops covered with tough paper.
Red paper lanterns for sale in Shanghai, 2012
Lantern festival at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taiwan
Lanterns above the street in London's Chinatown
Japanese Lantern Makers, photo by T. Enami
A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light source – historically usually a candle, a wick in oil, or a thermoluminescent mesh, and often a battery-powered light in modern times – to make it easier to carry and hang up, and make it more reliable outdoors or in drafty interiors. Lanterns may also be used for signaling, as torches, or as general light-sources outdoors.
A railroad brakeman's signal lantern, fueled by kerosene.
Arabic style lanterns (fanous), symbolic in the Islamic month of Ramadan
15th-century candle lantern from Germany, perforated metal
Street lanterns in Algeciras, Andalusia, Spain
