Year of the Rat – Free Printable Paper Hand Fans

Another free printable for you today, in the form of these pretty paper hand fans. And another of my Chinese New Year printables which have been updated for the Year of the Rat!

Chinese New Year 2020 is the Year of the Rat and falls on January 25th. I have shared lots of Chinese New Year printables over the years, and I like to update them so that they reflect the correct Chinese Zodiac signs.

Chinese New Year Paper Hand Fans

The Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first. – Chinese Zodiac

Your Chinese Zodiac is Rat if you are born in one of these years: 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020.

These Chinese Paper Hand Fans make a pretty decoration, and/or a place holder at a dinner party – and you could also give them as party favors.

I’ve used my gold rat design in these printables, since 2020 is the Year of the Rat, as well as providing a plain red and gold fan, and another with Chinese lettering which wishes happy new year (at least, I hope that the website that I copied the text from is correct!!)

You can make smaller, single fans, or you can join three of those fans together to make a large semi-circular fan, as shown in the images in this post.

Go another step further, and combine two halves to make a rosette to hang on the wall!

Whatever you decide, they are so simple to make, and you only need a couple of craft supplies.

As with [most of] my printables, they are available in two paper sizes – A4 and US Letter (8.5″ x 11″)

Download your chosen printable from the list further down the page (they’re surrounded by a purple box)

Read this next: 50+ Delicious Recipes for Chinese New Year

We love to celebrate Chinese New Year in our household, I remember as a child going to Chinatown in London with my family and seeing the Lion Dance which always had me in complete awe, and we’d always enjoy some Chinese food too.

My dad was really into Kung Fu in his younger days, so maybe that’s where it all stemmed from! You can read more about Chinese New Year on my blog here.

I will be updating all of my free printables for the Chinese New Year. Make sure you are a member of The Pumpkin Patch so that you don’t miss out!

Let’s stay in touch! Join The Pumpkin Patch and get notified when I share more free printables!

How To Make Paper Hand Fans

Grab the free printable templates (further down the page surrounded by a purple box) to make these awesome fans. You can make small ones, larges ones, and even a full rosette as a wall decoration!

Continue to Content

Chinese New Year Paper Hand Fans

Yield: As Many Fans As You Need!

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Beginner

Make a single small fan, or join several together to make a large paper hand fan. This beautiful craft is simple and great for Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year

Print

Materials

• White Paper
• Free Printable Template (links in blog post)
• Red Raffia (or wool, or string)

Tools

• Scissors
• Roller Glue or
• Double-Sided Tape

Instructions

1. To make a small fan print off your preferred design onto good quality (120gsm/30lbs) thick paper.
2. Cut the white border off.
3. Fold concertina fashion - about ½"/1cm widths.
4. Use a single hole punch to punch holes at the bottom end - you can only do a few at a time, so make sure you line them up as best you can.
5. Thread red raffia (or ribbon, or wool) through and tie a double knot to secure. Cut off any excess.
6. Fan out, and you're done!
7. To make a large fan you will need three printable sheets per fan. They can be the same design, or you can mix them up like I did.
8. Follow steps 2 - 4 above.
9. If you are using different designs, decide which will be the middle fan section, if using the same design, it doesn't matter.
10. Apply roller glue or double-sided tape down the outside length of the middle fan, on both the left and right side.
11. Carefully attach another fan to the sticky one.
12. Thread red raffia (or ribbon, or wool) through and tie a double knot to secure. Cut off any excess. Fan out.
13. To make a tassel, simply cut a bunch of raffia lengths and tie around to secure.
14. To make a full rosette, stick two large fans together and add a hanging loop at the back to hang on the wall.
15. The photo below is of the large fan and I love how it turned out!

Did you make this project? Share it!

Tag The Purple Pumpkin Blog on Instagram with the hashtag #TPPBCreate!

Get More: Free Chinese New Year Printables

The free printable(s) is (are) a PDF and can be opened with Adobe Reader which is free to use. Printables designed and created by The Purple Pumpkin Blog and its Designers are for PERSONAL USE ONLY and NOT FOR RESALE under any circumstances. Please read full Terms and Conditions. You are welcome to print these free printables at a print shop if you don’t have a printer at home, however, some print shops may not print licensed characters. Colours may vary slightly on printing due to different screen and printer settings. You may share this free printable blog post on social media, including Pinterest; as well as share it on your blog/website with a link back to this blog post. Please DO NOT share the PDF on social media or on your blog/website. If you use any of my printables it would be awesome to know about it! Post a picture on the social media platform that you hang out on, and follow me: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest! Use the hashtag #TPPBprintables so I can find you! I hope you enjoy these free printables!