Traditional Philippine Christmas celebrations are just right around the corner. As the holiday season approaches, more and more people look for tourist destinations they can enjoy with their families. Two of the most recognized symbols of Christmas in the Philippines are the parol and the Christmas tree.
San Fernando, Pampanga, has been dubbed the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines” for the longest time. This Christmas season, the province of Pampanga is one of the best places to visit with your loved ones. Pampanga’s Christmas celebration is a reason to see the province this holiday season.
Christmas celebration is a reason to see the province this holiday season.
Pampanga is the Parol-Making Capital of the Philippines
The term “parol” comes from the Spanish word “farol,” which means a “lantern” or “light.” The star is cherished as a source of light, and a sign of hope in the predominantly Christian country of the Philippines, and Filipinos place considerable value on the symbolism of light. However, with the Fernandinos’ persistent work and, more importantly, their ingenuity and originality, such an invention was conceivable.
The parol or star lantern a paramount Filipino Christmas symbol since it is vibrant, lovingly made, and brimming with holiday cheer. It is impossible to separate the Christmas lantern, or Parul Sampernandu in Kapampangan, from the city that gave it birth, the City of San Fernando. San Fernando is renowned for it. And that is what has made the city well-known throughout the nation and even the world.
San Fernando, Pampanga, produces these Christmas decorations all year round. From February to October, these lanterns cost the lowest. These Christmas lanterns are made from different materials and are of the highest quality.
Giant Lantern Festival
The Philippines goes all out for Christmas decorations and celebrations, and there’s no better location to observe the Filipino passion for seasonal sparkle than San Fernando and their lantern festival. Pampanga is considered as the Christmas Capital for good reason.
The Giant Lantern Celebration, or ‘Ligligan Parul’ in Kapampangan, is an annual festival celebrated in December, on the Saturday before Christmas Eve, in the magnificent city of San Fernando, Pampanga. As the name implies, this celebration comprises a contest of gigantic giant lanterns whose unusual construction is an attraction in itself. Due to the festival’s success, the city became renowned as the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines.”
How did the Giant Lantern Festival begin in San Fernando?
Before the Giant Lantern Festival, there was “lubenas,” a religious activity where Kapampangans brought 16 parols were brought to corresponding barrios in procession to their vista. As the tradition evolved, bigger lanterns and various designs were introduced from the original parol measuring just two feet in diameter.
Eventually, every barrio in San Fernando has their lantern made by its residents. The giant lanterns symbolized unity for the area’s residents from the concept design to labor.
In 1931, the first Giant Lantern Festival was held in San Fernando. This time, the giant lanterns have dancing lights and bright colors as electricity is introduced to San Fernando. President Manuel L. Quezon was recognized with the first lantern festival. At the time, Quezon designated Arayat as his resting place and developed Mount Arayat as a vacation destination.
The residents of San Fernando sponsored a Christmas lantern competition in honor of the Quezon family as a gesture of gratitude.
Giant Lantern Festival after the pandemic
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the annual Giant Lantern Festival was postponed two years in a row. However, the year 2022 marks the first year the public will witness the beautiful parols of San Fernando that lantern makers weld.
The world’s unique Ligligan Parul (Giant Lantern Festival) in Pampanga will resume on December 17, 2022, at Robinsons Starmills Pampanga. On the other hand, you can catch nightly exhibitions of different Christmas lanterns and other presentations from the San Fernando lantern industry this December 18, 2022, to January 1, 2023.
The festival’s ten participating villages participating in this colorful Christmas event are Bulaon, Calulut, Del Pilar, Dolores, Pandaras, San Juan, San Nicolas, and Sta. Lucia. Sto. Nino and Telabastagan will each receive P300, 000 as a subsidy to produce the enormous works of art. The local administration and the Giant Lantern Festival Foundation combined the money from public sources and individual donations.
Why should you be Interested in Spending Christmas in Pampanga?
The Giant Lantern Festival is a massive spectacle of dazzling lights, incredible color dynamics, and kaleidoscopic patterns set to upbeat music. The local lantern manufacturers’ skills were genuinely unmatched! It’s a distinctive Filipino custom that must be conserved and worth seeing this Christmas!
Christmas has always had a significant role in Filipino customs and culture. This year’s Giant Lantern Festival allowed everyone to appreciate the Filipino holiday spirit and distinctive Christmas celebration truly. Families and friends will undoubtedly enjoy the beautiful mix of colors, lights, and music highlighting the incredible artistry of the Kapampangans. It’s a fact that during the holiday season in the Philippines, this is one of the must-see and must-experience events.
The holiday season is spectacular in Pampanga. You may participate in the Great Lantern Festival, see the work of local artisans who make lanterns, enjoy delectable Kapampangan cuisine, and go to simbang gabi in their stunning churches, which are a few minutes away from Camella Projects in Pampanga.
Camella Projects in Pampanga
If you wish to spend your holidays in Pampanga every year, we recommend living in Camella Projects in Pampanga. Camella is present in Angeles, Mexico, and Apalit Pampanga, which offers various units with 2-5 bedrooms perfect for starting and growing families to spend your Christmas with. Set your tripping today and have a well-spent Christmas witnessing the Giant Lantern Festival!
For 45 years, Camella has been providing Filipino families with their dream homes. A house and lot in Camella give homeowners access to major expressways, places of recreation, and nearby holiday destinations. Kapampangans will surely benefit from having their own home in Camella as this Mediterranean-inspired community has top-of-the-line features and 24/7 security.
This holiday season, you and your family should witness the Giant Lantern Festival and if you want to live in a trusted real estate community, come home to Camella today!
Come home to your Dream Home
Check out our catalog of house and lot for sale in the Philippines
