What would make good decorations to celebrate Pentecost? If we look at that first Pentecost, we see the church beginning and spreading out across the world. What better way to commemorate the birth of the church, than by visiting other countries vicariously? Here are ideas of things you can collect to decorate your house for Pentecost.
Flags
Flags are probably the easiest thing to collect, and when you hang them or put them on stands, it can look very festive. Some hundred yen stores sell cloth flags that come on a nice wooden stand. But if you can’t find inexpensive ones locally, search for them on Google Images, and print out paper flags. Or ask your kids to draw flags, cover them with contact paper, and use them as place mats.
Decorations from Different Countries
I think things from other countries are fascinating, so I love to wander around stores that sell ethnic goods--they usually have a pretty good selection of all kinds of things--wood carvings, ceramics, fabrics, jewelry, and some even sell furniture. I decided to collect musical instruments, and I have bought several items from these kinds of stores--like an African thumb piano made out of a gourd. You may not believe this, but I was actually able to find several items, including a rain stick, at a hundred yen store! Yes, they were more than a hundred yen, but a third of what I would have paid at one of the stores mentioned above. Musical instruments can be decorations, but they are the kind you can touch, so they are a lot of fun for children to play around with, too. There are a lot of different kinds of things available, so collect what ever suits your fancy--what ever you get will make an interesting decoration for Pentecost.
Fabrics
Cloth may be another item that would be relatively easy to collect. Fabric can be hung on a wooden hanger like a quilt or banner, or sew them into cushion covers, and put them on the throw pillows on your sofa or bed to commemorate Pentecost. Some countries have very distinctive designs or techniques for making their unique cloth. Thailand is famous for it’s woven silk fabric, while Indonesia is famous for it’s batik fabric, and Ecuador for it’s cutwork. These would be sold in stores that sell ethnic goods rather than in a fabric stores, which tend to sell only factory made cloth.
Books about Countries
You can learn a lot about a country from books, especially if they have big pictures. These don’t count as a decoration either, really, but they do in a way if you leave them on your coffee table. You and your children can feast your eyes on the pictures during the period between Easter and Pentecost. If you don’t want to invest in books like this, you can still check them out of the library for free. Another source of gorgeous pictures is old National Geographic magazines. They go for 10 cents apiece at some garage sales. Then once you have read the articles, you can cut out pages and frame them--now that makes a good decoration!
Dolls, Toys, Games
Aside from the Mancala game, which seems to be sold everywhere, items like these are going to be harder to find. if you are able to find sources for them, though, it will probably be lot of fun for your kids. Some American mail order toy companies do sell toys and games from other countries, though not many. I used to think it would be fun to collect dolls wearing clothing from different countries, but the ones I have seen did not seem very authentic. Some hundred yen stores do sell small dolls, wearing clothing from different countries. If you sew, you can make outfits for dolls you buy, such as at a craft store. If you research and sew authentic outfits, these would be an inexpensive decoration, and fun toys for your daughters. Stores that sell ethnic goods do usually have quite a large selection of figurines, many of them comical, which should tickle your children’s funny bones. Although figurines don’t really qualify as dolls or toys, they do qualify as decorations. Masks are fun, too.
Poster of John 3:16 in Different Languages
If you can’t find one of these, you can make one for yourself, sort of. Type John 3:16 into the Google translator, and it will come up with something close--you can’t read any of it, so it’s close enough. Of course, if someone comes to visit that can read one of those languages, you can always get them to correct it for you! Wycliffe might sell these posters. For sure they have a poster that has empty quotation marks. Then at the bottom, it says this is John 3:16 in thousands of languages. That’s a powerful message that is a really good reminder of what Pentecost is all about. (Wycliffe would have the current number for that. Sorry that I don’t!)
World Map
This is a good time to display a world map. If you support missionaries, you can help your kids find the countries, and stick their photos on the map, (or around the edge of the map with string or tape pointing to the country in which they are serving.) Or you can give your children flag stickers to put with the countries--this will take serious research, and is a great learning experience for your kids. Use the map as a reference when a country shows up in the news, whether it’s the Olympics, World Soccer Cup, or a war. Learning about the world is an essential part of being involved in the great Great Commission, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” It is a command to all of us, so we all need to do our part.
I don’t know if the following ideas will work for you, since they are more on the collection side, than on the decoration side. If you are still want to read about ideas for things to collect, read on.
Coins
Unless you frame them, money doesn’t really count as a decoration, but they are interesting, and relatively easy to collect if you have friends who travel. Just let them know that you want to collect coins, and they will probably be glad to give you their pocket change when they get back from a trip. Sometimes missionaries give out coins from their country, too. When I was a little girl, my father used to give me his coins when he came back from a trip abroad--I ended up with quite the collection.
Dishes
Some countries have unique styles or designs, so these might be something relatively inexpensive to collect. I haven’t tried this, so I don’t know if they are hard to find, but I do think that some stores that sell ethnic goods also sell ceramic goods.
Recipes
These definitely don’t count as decorations, but they are a lot easier to collect than dishes!. Trying new foods from different countries would certainly make the season festive! The internet is a treasure trove as well as the library. Bon Apatite!
Christmas Decorations
This is another item that I have never collected, but thought it would be fun to try, if they are not too hard to find. Certainly following instructions for traditional decorations should keep it inexpensive, and authentic, even if it’s not made in that country. Traditional straw ornaments from Sweden come to mind. Not that you would want to use them to decorate at Pentecost, but a fun thing to collect, nonetheless.
