UNESCO Phl, Pampanga stakeholders to protect Christmas lantern tradition

City of San Fernando, Pampanga – The UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, alongside Pampanga stakeholders, is taking steps to safeguard the province's Christmas lantern-making tradition.

A Stakeholders' Consultation and Workshop on Safeguarding the Christmas Lantern Tradition was recently held at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Session Hall, organized by the Arts, Culture & Tourism Office of Pampanga (ACTOP). The workshop was spearheaded by Board Member Winwin Garbo, ACTOP head Mike Castañeda, and Dr. Ivan Henares, Secretary General of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts and the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines.

The event brought together tourism officers, parol makers, representatives from educational institutions, and researchers, all unified in their commitment to preserving Pampanga's renowned parol-making tradition.

Parol History

Pampanga, known as the country's Christmas capital, has a rich history in parol making that dates back to the 1800s with the traditional Lubenas processions. These processions featured a giant, intricately designed lantern, which eventually became the origin of the Giant Lantern of Pampanga.

In 1933, the giant lantern from Barangay Del Pilar was notably designed in the image of King Kong, accompanied by a choir and a 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, a Pampanga artisan named Francisco Estanislao allegedly crafted the first five-pointed star-shaped parol in 1908, using bamboo strips covered with Japanese paper, illuminated by a candle or kalburo (carbide lamp).

The 1940s saw the introduction of the first battery-operated parols with incandescent bulbs. In 1957, lantern-maker Rodolfo David invented parols with rotor systems, which 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 the light and music, creating the template for the commercial electric parols known as Parul Sampernandu, which have been sold since 1964.