Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Sepia Scenes #74



Hey my friends what are you posting for Sepia Scenes today?



This very tall crane decorates the development my SIL lives in.

Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds of the order Gruiformes, and family Gruidae. There are fifteen species. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Cranes live on all continents except Antarctica and South America.

Most species of cranes are at least threatened, if not critically endangered, within their range. The plight of the Whooping Cranes of North America inspired some of the first US legislation to protect endangered species.

Click here to make an origami crane

Thousand Origami Cranes (千羽鶴 Senbazuru or Zenbazuru) is a group of one thousand origami paper cranes held together by strings.

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.

The Thousand Origami Cranes has become a symbol of world peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who tried to stave off her death from leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II by making one thousand origami cranes, having folded only 644 before her death, and that her friends completed and buried them all with her.

Her story is told in the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.

Hope you enjoyed the information about paper cranes. I have made them often to give to friends and members of my classes.

Please sign Mr. Linky and leave a comment. I love comments! And don't forget to visit other participants.

19 comments:

JunieRose2005 said...

Wow! That's an interesting shot! Beautiful statue of the bird!

I have a post this time!

Junie

Heidi said...

Beautiful picture! The history was wonderful. And Sadoko and the 1000 paper cranes was a book that really left an impression on me as a child. My best friend when I was in 4th grad got Lukemia. We made her 1000 paper cranes, and unlike in the book we did reach our goal and she is still cancer free to this day.
Thank you for the kind memories today!

Ralph said...

The crane stands tall, his long legs allowing a style of elegance, and with those huge wings, is as graceful in flight, too. Nice sepia avian!

kayerj said...

I love that story--see Heidi's comments. Folding cranes for our little friend brought the story to life for us.

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

What an interesting post filled with great links about cranes. Neat shot too!

Napaboaniya APAD said...

"n Asia, it is commonly said that folding 1000 paper origami cranes makes a person's wish come true."

That's pretty true, mostly given to those really sick.

1000 folded colorful cranes hung by string is a very pretty sight as well :)

From the Old InkWell said...

I love cranes! They are so graceful and mysterious. Thanks for letting me link to your blogging party today. First time to do so! Now I'm over to check out some of the other participants.

Mo and The Purries said...

Your color-selective shamrock is just perfect, Mary!
I love the crane too, and your post.
Today at
It's A Blog Eat Blog World I have one of my favorite lighthouses in the world, Little Sable. On the west coast of Michigan, Little Sable (pronounced saw-BULL) is one of the most picturesque beacons of the Great Lakes. For a while, it was the lighthouse used in the opening credits of the venerable soap opera Guiding Light.
Have a great day,
Mo

Carletta said...

Lovely Mary!
I know this book well. It spent a lot of time in and out of our school library. :)
I never was good at origami and I can't imagine the daunting task of wanting to make 1000.
Love how you tied everything together in this post.

Amanda said...

Beautiful! I would love to learn origami. Attempts on my own have not been successful... Maybe I was using the wrong type of paper.

EG CameraGirl said...

Interesting story about the cranes. I think I'll start folding cranes to get my wish...after I visit a few blogs first. LOL

♥ Kathy said...

What an awesome crane! I love it!

Patti said...

The crane makes a cool decoration. Yard art, eh?

I remember that book. I did a story about the origami cranes a few years ago.

Anonymous said...

Awesome creatures and an equally awesome story Mary. thank you.

Kero said...

great shot!...i used to make crane origami and i enjoyed decorating my room with them in different colors.

hope you can visit my entry here http://thepinkzest.blogspot.com/2010/03/jumeirah-beach-hotel.html

aspiritofsimplicity said...

My daughter used to make paper cranes all the time. I still find them in the house sometimes.

Sherrie said...

Hi Mary,
Beautiful shot of the crane. Loved the video. Mine is posted. Have a great day!

Sherrie
A View of My Life

Rose said...

I like your photo for sepia scenes, but I love that header! It has been a while since I participated so it was new for me.

Mona Sweden said...

The crane really looks very tall. Very interesting shot!