By Leilani Chavez
Posted at 12/16/2010
MANILA, Philippines - Dubbed as the Christmas capital of the Philippines, the city of San Fernando in the province of Pampanga has big displays to boast of: the giant lanterns that are key sights in its pre-Christmas festival.
According to travel blogger Ivan Henares, once city tourism officer of San Fernando, the Ligligan Parul or Giant Lanterns Festival is a competition between barangays in Pampanga and each work of art is a "symbol of unity for the barrios."
San Fernando City's giant lanterns are around 18 feet in size and create the illusion of dancing lights in tune with Christmas songs. Around 5,000 light bulbs are used and are controlled by around 8 rotors or more.
Believed to have started in 1908, Ligligan Parul comes from a Kapampangan religious activity called "lubenas." The activity includes bringing 2-feet lanterns around every barrio during the 9-day novena before Christmas, shared Henares.
"Before the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the lanterns were brought to the town church together with the barrio patrons," he wrote in an entry in his blog Ivan About Town.
"This tradition gradually evolved as the lanterns became bigger and the designs more intricate. Later, one big lantern was made for each barrio, which was created through a cooperative effort," he said.
There are varying histories on the origin of the festival but it still highlighted the efforts of the community that join hands to make the lanterns that make San Fernando a worthwhile tourist destination during the holidays.
This year's Ligligan Parul will be held on Saturday, December 18 at Robinsons Starmills.
What to see: The current attraction in Pampanga is a trek to the famous Mt. Pinatubo and a quick trip to Clark Air Base.
What to eat: A trip to Pampanga should include a taste of its native dishes: sisig, lechon kawali, and tocino. Pampanga also has a number of restaurants that offer exotic cuisine. And the desserts are a must: halo-halo, marzipan, turrones, meringue, and the tibok-tibok corn cake.
How to get there: From Manila, visitors can take a bus headed to Arayat and get off at the San Simon or the Sto. Domingo exit. From there, a jeep can take you to San Fernando.
PAG-ASA Weather Forecast: On December 18, the skies in Pampanga will be mostly cloudy with rainshowers. Don't forget to bring your umbrellas!
For more information, visit the local government portal of San Fernando.
Photo courtesy of philippinefiestas.com.
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