UNESCO-Phl and Pampanga stakeholders protect Christmas lantern tradition

City of San Fernando, Pampanga – The Philippines National Commission for UNESCO, together with Pampanga stakeholders, is taking steps to preserve the tradition of Christmas lantern making in the province.

A stakeholder consultation and workshop on protecting the Christmas lantern tradition organized by the Arts, Culture & Tourism Office of Pampanga (ACTOP) was held recently at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Session Hall. The workshop was led by Board Member Winwin Garbo, ACTOP Director Mike Castañeda, and Dr. Ivan Henares, Secretary General of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts and UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines.

The event brought together tourism officials, slogan writers, representatives of educational institutions and researchers, all of whom shared their commitment to preserving Pampanga's famous slogan-writing tradition.

Parol History

Known as the Christmas capital of the country, Pampanga has a rich tradition of lantern making dating back to the 19th century when the traditional Lubenas processions were held. These processions used a huge, elaborately designed lantern, which eventually became the origin of the Giant Lantern of Pampanga.

In 1933, the giant lantern of Barangay Del Pilar was notably decorated with the image of King Kong, accompanied by a choir and band performing various versions of “Dios Te Salve” (local adaptations of “Ave Maria” with Spanish lyrics).

The parol did not acquire its standard five-pointed star shape until the American colonial period. According to oral accounts, in 1908, a Pampanga artisan named Francisco Estanislao allegedly made the first five-pointed star-shaped parol out of bamboo strips covered with Japanese paper and lit by a candle or kalburo (carbide lamp).

In the 1940s, the first battery-operated paruls with incandescent lamps were introduced. In 1957, lantern maker Rodolfo David invented paruls with rotor systems that were used in the Giant Lantern Festival of San Fernando, Pampanga. His innovation helped Barangay Santa Lucia win the festival from 1957 to 1959. David's design featured rotating steel drums with wires on hairpins to synchronize lights and music, creating the template for the commercial electric paruls called Parul Sampernandu that have been sold since 1964.