CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga -- The Giant Lantern Festival of San Fernando, Pampanga is one of the popular festivities which gives the people a joyful and colorful spirit of the season and also gave the city its tag as “Christmas Capital of the Philippines.”
The day of the festival is when the shimmering and colorful man-made Christmas "stars" eclipsed the beauty of the celestial bodies.
Locally known as “Ligligan Parul,” it is an annual lantern-making contest that also draws thousands of local and foreign spectators. What makes the festival famous locally and internationally is the spectacular display of lights and designs of lanterns vying to win the coveted title of the “brightest star” of the night.
Behind the shimmering success of this annual are the artistic and innovative Kapampangan lantern makers.
The exquisite intricacy and meticulous details of making the giant lanterns is indeed a demonstration of craftsmanship and passion of the lantern makers.
A giant lantern -- standard size of 20 feet in height – is mainly made of thousands of colorful bulbs intertwined in wires. The spectacular play of these lights is done manually through a Kapampangan innovation called “rotor.”
“The rotor dictates the dancing lights’ routine,” Barangay Dolores lantern maker Teddy Aguilar said, adding it would use nine rotors in the 2017 Giant Lantern Festival Competition set on December 16 at the Robinsons Starmills here.
Barangay Dolores made history in this annual lantern-making competition after bringing home the top prize for three consecutive years since 2014.
“The key to victory is creativity. The designs, colors and lights should blend well together to produce a great lantern,” Aguilar said.
He said their group is exerting all out efforts to defend their title.
“We will show new designs. With three consecutive victories, we will do our best to defend our title. And of course, we want to make the audience happy,” he said.
Barangay Dolores lantern supervisor Rogelio Santos said the awards serve as an inspiration to do their best. “We are doing this not only for us, but we also want to preserve the distinction of San Fernando, being the Christmas Capital of the Philippines. Thus, we are thinking new ideas,” Santos said.
Not wanting to be left behind, first timer Barangay Del Rosario, through its chairman Reggie David, said they prepared some surprises that could give satisfaction to the audience and judges.
Other villages that will take part in this annual lantern-making competition are Santa Lucia, Telebastagan, Sindalan, San Juan, San Nicolas, Calulut, San Jose, and Del Pilar.
The Giant Lantern Festival finds its roots in Bacolor town. Following the transfer of the provincial capital from Bacolor to San Fernando in August 1904, the lantern event followed as well.
"Ligligan Parul" was said to have started in San Fernando in 1904. But some say that the "Ligligan Parol" did not happen immediately after the transfer and in fact, began in 1908.
The festival used to be part of the religious activity “lubenas,” a nine-day novena before Christmas, which coincided with the “simbang gabi” from December 16 to 24.
The lanterns were brought around each village in procession then would make their way to the town church before the midnight mass on Christmas Eve.
This tradition gradually evolved as the lanterns became bigger and the designs more intricate.
From the “papel de japon,” the lanterns were soon wrapped in sheets made of capiz, plastic vinyl, handmade paper composed of grass and the latest - fibreglass.
Since then, the craftsmanship of the Kapampangans in making Christmas lanterns became known globally.
The Pampanga lanterns started to be put on display in Philippine embassies in some parts of the world like Singapore, Russia, Canada, Poland, Hawaii, Singapore, Russia, among others.
The lanterns were used as decorations in various international exhibits, competitions and events such as the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN in this country.
To preserve the traditional lantern festival and to sustain the growth of the lantern industry, City Mayor Edwin Santiago said the local government is developing strategies to promote the lanterns and the craft of light industry not only during Christmas season but also all-year round.
Likewise, the city government conducts an annual inter-school lantern parade competition in line with the Giant Lantern Festival.
Santiago said that aside from preserving the city’s cultural tradition, the activity is also an effective way to promote lantern-making among the Fernandino youth.
“As part of keeping the industry alive, we also want to showcase and discover the innovative ideas of the students in creating their own lanterns. The local government strives to develop the skills of today’s youth because they are the one who will continue the renowned reputation for quality craftsmanship,” he added. (PNA)
Photo courtesy of San Fernando city government
