GIANT Christmas lanterns about 20-foot tall lined up in a huge open ground were making the audience gathered in the event excited as they anticipated the commencement of the program. When the time came, the spotlights were shut off and the lanterns worked their magic, capturing everyone in attendance.
This is the yearly Giant Christmas Lantern Festival, or Ligligan Parul in San Fernando, Pampanga. It is regarded as the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines” because of this sought-after festivity that makes colorful lights on beautifully designed lanterns glow in a cold December night. While our barangays here in Bacolod contend through creative costumes and masks during our MassKara Festival, barangays in San Fernando compete through their beautiful giant lantern designs with light and music show.
A week from now, we will be ushering the advent season as we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christmas. Yet, even before advent, Filipinos already adorn their homes and offices with Christmas decors to welcome the festive feel that the season brings. We see those Christmas lanterns sold on the side of the street being displayed as early as September. The view of those colorful lights already sends a heartfelt feeling whenever I zoom past them. What more those giant lanterns that I watched in Pampanga a few years back!
Church tour
Before the Ligligan Parul main event, we arrived in Pampanga in the morning to visit two landmark churches. We first went to the San Guillermo Church in Bacolor which was half-buried by lahar during the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. Inside the church, the ceiling was lower than the ordinary and some of the doors became window-like due to the destruction that took place in the area.
Then we went to the St. James the Apostle Parish Church, also known as the Betis Church in Guagua. The 17th century baroque church contains beautiful mural paintings on its ceiling.
Sumptuous lunch
We had lunch for almost five hours and we were served nine to ten dishes that were strategically paced so that we would savor each meal course. The place? It was Bale Dutung, owned by renowned chef and writer Claude Tayag and his wife Maryann. From the fern salad to the various lechon dishes to the dessert, every bit of it was yummy. Tucked inside a village in Angeles, Bale Dutung was a delightful place to dine. The ambiance was also very refreshing, with less walls, lots of greens, and many native Filipino touches.
Ligligan Parul Show
The highlight of our Pampanga tour was the lantern show in San Fernando. The event can trace its roots way back sometime in 1904 or 1908. When we arrived at the venue, which seemed like a wide open-area parking lot, I could discern the silhouette of about eight giant lanterns at the far end of the space. The program started with some folk dances and choral singing that kept us entertained.
Then the moment for the lighting of the lanterns came. The lights in the lanterns danced in harmony with the music. The Christmas breeze, in authentic Pinoy style, filled the air. And the Christmas star shone beautifully on us all.
Such is the magic of the star that guided the magi more than 2,000 years ago. May the Christmas lanterns, big or small, remind us of the true essence of the celebration when the child Jesus was born in our midst. Let them be our guiding light as we welcome the Christ in our hearts.
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Claire Marie Algarme blogs at firsttimetravels.com. Follow her as @firsttimetravel on Twitter and Instagram.