Ever heard of origami? While it is just a shape made of paper, for others it has a deeper meaning. So, what is an Origami? Origami is the Japanese word for paper folding. "ORI" means to fold and "KAMI" means paper. Together, they form the word, "origami." 

The art of making paper from pulp originated in China in the year 102A.D. The secret of making paper was kept in China for several hundred years and finally made its way through Korea and into Japan. A Buddhist monk is said to have carried this secret. The introduction of paper making to Japan several hundred years later coincided with the development of their religion and soon became part of the lives of its people.  

Too much of the history part. Did you know that the most popular Origami model is "the crane"? It has become the international symbol of peace. 

In Japan, every child eventually learns to make the crane. It uses a bird base, which is a square base plus two petal folds. Traditionally, folding a thousand paper cranes is said to grant you the right to make one special wish.  

Let's see how to make an original origami crane based on wiki how:  

1. Find a blank square sheet of paper. ... 
2. Fold the paper in half into a rectangle. 
3. Fold the top of the paper down until the top edge aligns with a bottom edge of the paper and then crease. ... 
4. Fold it in half the other way. 
5. Fold vertically from right to left. 
6. Crease, then unfold. You should end up with a cross crease. 
7. Fold the top right corner down to the bottom left corner. 
8. Crease, then unfold. 
9. Fold the top left corner down to the bottom right corner. 
10. Crease, then unfold. You should end up with an asterisk-like crease. 
11. Bring the lower right side of the top flap to the middle line. Crease. Repeat on the lower left side. You'll have a top that resembles a kite. 
12. Bring the right corner of the top flap to the middle crease. This will make it so that the lower right edge lines up with the crease. 
13. Fold down the top corner to make the crease lie along the horizontal line created by the previous step. 
14. Unfold the last three folds. After you do this, you'll return to having a square with an opening that faces down. 
15. Fold the bottom corner of the square up along the horizontal crease from the previous steps up to the top corner. 
16. Reverse the two creases on the upper flap by folding it in the opposite direction that it naturally folds. 
17. Bring the outer edges of the paper to the middle and flatten it. This will create a diamond shape with two flaps sticking out on the right and left sides. 
18. Turn the paper over and repeat steps 6-9 on this side. 
19. Fold the outer edges of the diamond to the middle crease. 
20. Fold the right flap over to the left. Do this as you would turn the page of a book.  

21. Turn over the shape. Repeat on this side. Then fold the right flap over to the left again. 
22. Fold the bottom tip of the top flap up to the top corner. Turnover and repeat on the other side. 
23. Fold the right flap over to the left. Again, do this as you would turn the page of a book. 
24. Turnover and repeat on the back. Now the head and tail are nestled in between what will become the wings. 
25. Fold the wings down so that they are perpendicular to the body, head, and tail. 
26. Fold the tip of the head down. 
27. Pull the head and tail out so that they line up with the outer edges of the body. 
28. Create 3D volume. If you want a three-dimensional body, grasp the opposite corners on the bottom of the body and gently pull the shape to create the desired volume. Or you can blow in the hole at the bottom of the crane. 

 Here's a video on how to make a paper crane

Finally, you're done! Enjoy your paper crane. You can give away the crane, hang it up, or use it as a decoration. There are so many Origami model/design that you can easily search on the web.