Origami. There’s just something magical about it. You can fold nearly anything from just a single piece of paper(unless it’s modular origami, but that’s beside the point). Books like Yoko’s Paper Cranes or The Strange Case of Origami Yoda are published. Origami is a way of life for people like Jo Nakashima and Robert J. Lang. It’s a wonderful art and should definitely be practiced more.

There are many different techniques for origami. One of them is known as ‘wet-folding’ and was introduced by Akira Yoshizawa, the origami master. Wet-folding is where you use a little bit of water to make the curves on your origami figure smoother and in the long run, tougher. After drying, the origami becomes sturdy and last for a long time.

Another technique that isn’t exactly considered origami is kirigami. This is where you cut as well as fold the paper to make beautiful structures and figures. Kirigami is most commonly used to make snowflakes and flowers. Many origami enthusiasts argue that kirigami is not origami because you cut the paper. But, over time, some paper folding instructions include cutting and gluing in order to give their figures the best shape.

Origami isn’t limited to creating forms out of just one piece of paper. There’s something called modular origami and it’s where you take multiple pieces of paper to make something intricate and compound, something you probably couldn’t create with just one piece of paper.

And, just like many other ‘arts’, there are legends and myths and stories revolving around origami. The most famous legend is about folding paper cranes. The legend goes that any person that folds a thousand paper cranes is granted one wish. Whether that is true or not is up to you to find out, but there have been many stories about it. Some such stories are Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr, Tree of Cranes by Allen Say, and A Thousand Cranes by Florence Temko.

So, these are just some things about origami that you might want to know. It’s even beneficial for your brain and developing attention skills. So next time you want to give cool gifts, pass time, or awe the people around you, just remember that origami is one of your options.