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A parol (, , also written as paról or parul, from Spanish ''farol'', meaning ''lantern'') is a Filipino ornamental
lantern A lantern is a source of lighting, often portable. It typically features a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle, a oil lamp, wick in oil, or a thermoluminescence, thermoluminescent Gas mantle, mesh, and often a ...
displayed during the
Christmas season The Christmas season or the festive season, also known as the holiday season or the holidays, is an annual period generally spanning from November or December to early January. Incorporating Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the various celebrat ...
. Parols are traditionally constructed using
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
and Japanese paper, and are illuminated with candles, oil lamps, or
carbide lamp A carbide lamp or acetylene gas lamp is a simple lamp that produces and burns acetylene (C2H2), which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water (H2O). Acetylene gas lamps were used to illuminate buildings, as lighthouse beac ...
s. Modern parols can be made using other materials such as
plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...
,
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
, and
capiz shell The windowpane oyster (''Placuna placenta'') is a bivalve marine mollusk in the family of Placunidae. It is edible, but valued more for its shell (and its rather small pearls). The oyster's shells have been used for thousands of years as a gla ...
s and are usually illuminated with electric lighting. Its most-common form is a
five-pointed star A five-pointed star (☆), geometrically an equilateral concave decagon, is a common ideogram in modern culture. Comparatively rare in classical heraldry, it was notably introduced for the flag of the United States in the Flag Act of 1777 and si ...
, although it can come in various shapes and sizes. Large disc-shaped electronic versions of parols produced in
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...
are known as "''parul sampernandu''", the phonetic spelling of parol San Fernando, owing to the city where these lanterns are a major product. The parol is a traditional part of the Panunulúyan pageant in the nine-day Christmas
Novena A novena (from , "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost, when the ...
procession during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. It was initially rectangular or oblong in shape and was made with white paper, but eventually came to be made in various shapes and colors. It became standardized to a five-pointed star (symbolizing the
Star of Bethlehem The Star of Bethlehem, or Christmas Star, appears in the nativity of Jesus, nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew Matthew 2, chapter 2 where "wise men from the East" (biblical Magi, Magi) are inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem. There, ...
) during the
American colonial period The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonization of the Americas, British colonies on the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–17 ...
. It remains an iconic symbol of Filipino Christmas.


History

Like in other parts of
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
,
paper lantern A paper lantern is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply a paper bag with a candle placed inside, alt ...
s were introduced to the Philippines before the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. The word ''paról'' is the modern Filipino spelling of the original Spanish name ''farol'', meaning "lantern". In the native languages, parol and lanterns in general are also known as ''paritaan''. The tradition of the parol becoming associated with
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
dates back to the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. It is a local adaptation of the Hispanic tradition of carrying small light sources (like torches, candles, or
brazier A brazier () is a container used to burn charcoal or other solid fuel for cooking, heating or rituals. It often takes the form of a metal box or bowl with feet, but in some places it is made of terracotta. Its elevation helps circulate air, feed ...
s) during the nine-day Christmas
Novena A novena (from , "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost, when the ...
procession leading up to the midnight mass (called Simbang Gabi in the Philippines). They are particularly associated with the Panunulúyan pageant accompanying the procession, which is a reenactment of the search for lodgings by
Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
and the pregnant
Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
in
Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
. The actors portraying Joseph and Mary, as well as the townspeople, carried
paper lantern A paper lantern is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply a paper bag with a candle placed inside, alt ...
s made with bamboo and Japanese paper (''papel de japón''). After the procession, these lanterns were then hung outside houses as decorations. Over time, they became an indispensable part of Filipino Christmas tradition. The significance of the parol in traditional Philippine Christmas celebrations is underscored in a letter by
José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...
in 1893. While he was in exile in Dapitan, Rizal asked his family to send him Japanese paper so he might "celebrate Christmas properly." Early Spanish-era parols were initially simple rectangular or oblong shapes and were made with white paper. They were illuminated by candles or
coconut oil Coconut oil (or coconut fat) is an edible oil derived from the kernels, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat below around , and a clear thin liquid oil at higher temperatures. Unrefined varieties have a disti ...
lamps. Their shapes and colors became more diverse by the 1830s, including intricate designs made with folded
papercutting Papercutting or paper cutting is the art of paper designs that has evolved all over the world to adapt to different cultural styles. One traditional distinction most styles share is that the designs are cut from a single sheet of paper as oppo ...
. The lanterns were all made by hand, and thus the designs varied by household. In the traditional Lubenas processions of
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...
which dates back to the 1800s, the shapes and locations of the parols used have become standardized. They feature a cross-shaped parol at the head of the procession representing
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
, followed by a fish-shaped parol with hinged jaws (called the ''asan'') representing ''
Ichthys The ichthys or ichthus (), from the Greek (, 1st cent. AD Koinē Greek pronunciation: , "fish") is, in its modern rendition, a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to ...
''. Behind them are the ''carroza'' (wheeled carriage) or the ''andas'' (shoulder-borne palanquin) which carry religious images. The carriages are flanked by two rows of six, star-shaped parols (usually having more than five points) for a total of twelve; each lantern represents one of the
twelve apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...
. Behind the carriage is a giant intricately designed lantern (which is the origin of the Giant Lantern Festival). This giant lantern can take any form. In 1933, the giant lantern of Bgy. Del Pilar was reputedly built in the image of
King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...
. This was followed by a choir and a band singing various versions of ''"Dios Te Salve"'' (local adaptations of "
Ave Maria The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical pa ...
" with Spanish lyrics). In the past, aside from the fish, parols shaped like a lamb (representing the
Lamb of God Lamb of God (; , ) is a Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/John#1:29, John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, " ...
), a
dove Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...
(representing the
Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...
), and animals from the
nativity scene In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christmastide, Christmas season, of ar ...
were also carried, along with angel-shaped parols. But they are rarely featured today. All of the parols featured in the Lubenas are traditionally predominantly white, but other colors are used today for trimmings. The Lubenas was a vanishing tradition only practiced by around seven towns by the year 2000, but after recent efforts to revive it, there are more towns holding a Lubenas procession each year. The paról did not acquire its standard five-pointed star shape until the
American colonial period The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonization of the Americas, British colonies on the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–17 ...
. Based on oral accounts, an
artisan An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...
from
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...
named Francisco Estanislao allegedly crafted the first five-pointed star-shaped paról in 1908. His creation was made of bamboo strips covered with Japanese paper, illuminated by a candle or ''kalburo'' (
carbide lamp A carbide lamp or acetylene gas lamp is a simple lamp that produces and burns acetylene (C2H2), which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water (H2O). Acetylene gas lamps were used to illuminate buildings, as lighthouse beac ...
). The first battery-operated parols with
incandescent bulb An incandescent light bulb, also known as an incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe, is an electric light that produces illumination by Joule heating a filament until it glows. The filament is enclosed in a glass bulb that is either ...
s were produced in the 1940s. In 1957, parols with rotor systems were invented by the lantern-maker Rodolfo David. The parol was used for the year's entry of Barangay Santa Lucia in the Giant Lantern Festival of
San Fernando, Pampanga San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it h ...
, which they subsequently won from 1957 to 1959. His parol used rotating steel drums with wires on hairpins to program the light and music. This became the template for commercial electric parols called ''Parul Sampernandu'' sold from 1964 onward. The farolitos (or ''luminarias'') of
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
, which are paper lanterns that have the same function during the
Las Posadas ''Las Posadas'' is a Novena, ''novenario'' (an extended devotional prayer). It is celebrated chiefly in Latin America, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and by Latin Americans in the United States. It is typically celebrated each year bet ...
, are derived from the Filipino parol via the
Manila galleons The Manila galleon (; ) refers to the Spanish trading ships that linked the Philippines in the Spanish East Indies to Mexico (New Spain), across the Pacific Ocean. The ships made one or two round-trip voyages per year between the ports of Man ...
.


Construction and design

Traditionally, parols have a framework made of
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
sticks which are then covered by coloured pieces of either Japanese paper or
crêpe paper Crêpe paper is thin, textured, and often colorful decorative paper used in paper craft. It is created by adhering wet tissue paper to the cylinder of a Yankee dryer and then scraping it off with a blade once dry. This process creates gathers in ...
. The most common form is a five-pointed star with two decorative "tails". Nowadays, the materials range from plastic, shells, glass, beads, foil, feathers,
hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...
, leaves, seeds, plastic straws, wood and even metal. They usually come in various sizes, from small, tinsel and foil lanterns to gigantic ones that are electrically lit at night, and may have one, three or more tails aside from the ubiquitous two. Some have a surrounding "halo," and the number of points on the star usually ranges from four to around ten (however, higher numbers exist). As for stellate patterns, more complex shapes that are seen are the
rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...
, the
bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a Family (biology), family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the Tropics, tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and on ...
or
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
, the
snowflake A snowflake is a single ice crystal that is large enough to fall through the Earth's atmosphere as snow.Knight, C.; Knight, N. (1973). Snow crystals. Scientific American, vol. 228, no. 1, pp. 100–107.Hobbs, P.V. 1974. Ice Physics. Oxford: C ...
and the
sea urchin Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class (biology), class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body cove ...
. Other designs aside from the common stellate pattern include that of
angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
s, huge flowers,
Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...
's face,
reindeer The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, taiga, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only re ...
, happy faces, and
Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...
s, among other Western holiday symbols. The lantern-makers of Pampanga have their own long-standing tradition on parol design. The Kapampangan parol has four concentric layers. The central circular part is known as the ''tambor'' or ''tambur'' ("drum"). This is followed by the ''siku-siku'' ("elbow"), which contains the criss-crossing star shapes. The third layer is the ''palimbun'' (from the Kapampangan word ''limbun'', meaning a Novena procession), a circular rim that surrounds the ''siku-siku''. The last layer is the ''puntetas'' ("edges" or "tips") which contain smaller intricate details. Pampanga is also the origin of the first electric and battery-operated parols with automated rotor systems, known as ''parul sampernandu,'' which date back to the 1940s to 1960s. Recently, innovations from
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...
include production of lanterns with electronic lights that can be programmed to produce a dancing effect, as is the use of
LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...
rope lights, known as "flexilight" lanterns. In 2024,
San Fernando, Pampanga San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it h ...
, in its vision of
sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...
launched its first all-LED rotors operated giant lantern using Firefly Electric and Lighting Corporation lights. The original stellate design of the parol remains common in the Philippines and considered distinct for Filipinos. The traditional craft of lantern-making is usually taught to schoolchildren around Christmastime, but actual manufacture is now primarily done in the
barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
s and the
poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...
s and is rarely done in urban areas. A notable exception is
San Fernando, Pampanga San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it h ...
, which is considered "Home of the Giant Lanterns" for its million-peso lantern-making industry, as well as
Las Piñas Las Piñas (, officially the City of Las Piñas (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of ...
, a city in
Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
, where a lot of parols also originate.


Use


In the Philippines

In the Philippines, the ''parol'' has become an iconic symbol of the Filipino Christmas and is as important to
Filipinos Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino language, Filipino, Philippine English, English, or other Philippine language ...
as the
Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...
is to Western cultures. Its annual debut on houses and streets is usually in September along with other Christmas symbols, signalling the coming of the season. The ''parol'' also retains its original association with the Simbang Gabi ritual, a series of dawn masses that lasts for nine days. These lanterns remain until January, traditionally removed after Epiphany, to honour the
Three Kings In Christianity, the Biblical Magi ( or ; singular: ), also known as the Three Wise Men, Three Kings, and Three Magi, are distinguished foreigners who visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in homage to hi ...
and their visit to the infant Jesus. Many communities, such as villages, schools, and groups hold competitions to see who can make the best ''parol''. One such event is the annual Giant Lantern Festival in
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...
, which attracts various craftsmen from across the archipelago. The competition revolves around the illumination and performances of giant ''parol'' that can reach up to in breadth. These giant lanterns are programmed to "dance" to the accompaniment of a
brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...
or recorded music.


Overseas

Although the use of the parol as a Christmas decoration is chiefly done in the Philippines, other countries where the
Filipino diaspora An overseas Filipino () is a person of full or partial Filipino origin who trace their ancestry back to the Philippines but are living and working outside of the country. This term generally applies to both people of Filipino ancestry and cit ...
have settled have also adapted its use. In Austria, the lanterns are a big attraction in the annual ''Wiener Christkindlmarkt'' (Vienna
Christmas market A Christmas market is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany, but are now held in many countries. Some in the U.S. have Phono-semantic matching, adapted ...
). A ceremonial lighting of 60 parol in a 'Philippine Tree' was done at the Wiener Rathausplatz. The project was a collaboration between the city's government and the Philippine Embassy in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, which introduced the lanterns in 2006. Since 2005, renowned
artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

Fred DeAsis
offers free Parol Making Workshop to the Filipino community in the
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
area and adjacent states. Workshops were coordinated by public libraries, community churches and local
Filipino American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...
cultural organizations A cultural institution or cultural organization is an organization within a culture or subculture that works for the preservation or promotion of culture. The term is especially used of public and charitable organizations, but its range of meaning ...
. During the workshop, participants learn to make a traditional Filipino
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
parol, originally designed by the artist, with the use of only 5
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
sticks, japanese paper, rubber bands, wire, glue and ornaments. In
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
and
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
Filipino American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...
s celebrate an annual Parol Festival in December. Parols are also common as Christmas decorations for Filipino-American homes and churches. Filipinos in Canada hang ''parols'' in their party halls during Christmas parties to reminisce their traditional usage of the craft.


See also

* Belén, another traditional Filipino symbol of Christmas *
Luminaria Luminaria is a term used in different parts of the world to describe various types of Christmas lights, holiday lights, usually displayed during Christmas. In English, the term most commonly refers to a specific type of simple paper lantern ...
*
Windowpane oyster The windowpane oyster (''Placuna placenta'') is a bivalve marine mollusk in the family of Placunidae. It is edible, but valued more for its shell (and its rather small pearls). The oyster's shells have been used for thousands of years as a gla ...
*
Las Posadas ''Las Posadas'' is a Novena, ''novenario'' (an extended devotional prayer). It is celebrated chiefly in Latin America, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and by Latin Americans in the United States. It is typically celebrated each year bet ...
, a similar Novena tradition in Latin America *
Piñata A piñata (, ) is a container, often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration. Piñatas are commonly associated with Mexico. The idea of breaking a container fill ...
, a similar but unrelated tradition in Mexico symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem *
Christmas lights Christmas lights (also known as fairy lights, festive lights or string lights) are lights often used for decoration in celebration of Christmas, often on display throughout the Christmas season including Advent and Christmastide. The custom ...


References


External links

* {{Commons category-inline Christmas in the Philippines Philippine handicrafts Decorative arts Christmas decorations Star of Bethlehem