In Christmas-mad Philippines, thousands cheered as handcrafted lanterns towering 6m high lighted up the night sky in San Fernando.
The dazzling display of lights, accompanied by religious and festive imagery, and soundtracked by Filipino rap and Christmas carols, is part of the annual Giant Lantern Festival.
Held mid-December each year, the festival acts as a platform to highlight the region’s famed lantern industry, which first started more than 100 years ago.
Photo: AFP
Local designer Karl Quiwa, 31, said it takes a team of 20 over a three-month period to build a light display, adding that he sees the effort as a “religious obligation.”
Quiwa’s ancestors built their first piece for the inaugural 1908 festival — which has continued to this day and was only interrupted by war and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The giant lanterns, submitted for competition at the festival, use 12,000 50-watt bulbs synchronized by 15km of electric cables and symbolize the Star of Bethlehem.
The massive light pieces can weigh up to a tonne, with costs soaring to 1 million pesos (US$17,020).
Smaller versions are also produced by the city’s craftsmen and adorn lamp posts, office buildings and homes across the archipelago nation of 116 million, which is home to Asia’s largest Catholic population.
A sixth-generation descendant of San Fernando’s pioneer lanternmaker, Quiwa said that apart from religion, he was proud to carry on the family tradition of “cheering people up during Christmas.”
Fellow designer Edmar David echoed this sentiment, saying that his company sells thousands of lanterns each year — including to the country’s massive overseas worker community.
“Lanterns bring cheer, light and hope. Without them, life is sad,” said David, 41, whose entry last year won best in show.
“It’s really beautiful and shows the importance of our communities in making Christmas meaningful,” local student Ria Hipolito, 16, said as she and other members of her family watched the competition last weekend.
As the light show unfolded, the lantern’s blindingly bright facades concealed a flurry of activity behind, as teams of people turned large metal barrels by hand to produce a kaleidoscopic effect.
Firefighters carrying extinguishers could be seen patrolling the area, as sparks flew from the rotors of at least three lanterns.
“Almost all the lanternmakers here are related to each other or are friends with the others,” said Florante Parilla, 55, who has been designing the giant lanterns for 30 years.
Despite their popularity, those involved in the festival worry technology and apathy could bring the tradition to an abrupt halt — as fewer young people are learning the craft.
“We’re always on the lookout for young people to train, because nowadays, most have not shown any interest,” Parilla said.
“Most of today’s children are introverts who do not play outside and are attached to their cellphones and [computer] games. Maybe that’s the reason they cannot appreciate lanternmaking,” Quiwa said. “We may be the last of our kind.”
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