"Just like a kaleidoscope in colored lights". That is how one person described the geometric designs and colors which swirled across the circular face of each huge lantern at the San Fernando Giant Lantern Festival. The dazzling color designs are synchronized with music, producing a brilliant and unique sound and light show. Dancing shapes and colors transfixed the crowd of onlookers as each lantern competed for the top prize on Saturday, December 18, 2004.

This year, our group of 30 MVP members, some husbands and children and two visiting mothers joined the audience of over 50,000 spectators to witness the Giant Lantern Competition, which is held every year before Christmas. Traveling 2 hours on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), our group arrived at SM Megamall Pampanga without any major traffic slowdowns, and in plenty of time to have a leisurely dinner before the competition. At the 7 pm starting time, the crowd was still assembling, but by 8 pm the show was ready to get underway. The MC’s and panel of judges were drawn from noted business, civic, and show business personalities, and included MVP’s own Pandy Singian. Thanks to Pandy and Sony Ng, we had ring-side seats in the VIP section, and a military escort to the seating area. After brief speeches by local Mayor Oscar S. Rodriguez of San Fernando, and Senator Mar Roxas, the lights were finally dimmed to start the competition.

And a brilliant show it was. Each huge lantern is allowed to showcase its unique geometrically designed light show for 5 minutes in the first part of the competition, accompanied by music chosen by the designers. Then the lanterns are presented in groups of 3, and in the grand finale, all lanterns perform at the same time, to music provided by the organizers. Each lantern is so unique, and the lighting sequences so varied, that every second of the presentation is different, amazing, and surprising. Pandy and the judging panel must have had an extremely difficult task to choose the winning lantern. But to most casual spectators, the prize goes to all lanterns, and to the inventiveness and ingenuity of their design.

The festival lanterns have become so large that they now measure up to 18 feet in diameter and are mounted on trucks so that they can be paraded and brought to the competition. The creations take months to assemble and are sponsored by each of 9 major barangays within the city of San Fernando. This year’s winning entry was from Barangay San Felipe. Each giant lantern may include up to 5,000 individual light cells and circuits, and may cost more than P300,000. But the entire lantern is assembled of inexpensive components readily available in the local markets. Lamp cells are made of heavy cardboard and lighted by ordinary white bulbs. The brilliant colors are achieved by covering each cell with polyethylene dipped in car paint.

Most amazing of all, the dazzling effects are achieved without resorting to any electronics or computers. Instead each lamp circuit wire leads to one of several large round drums or rotors mounted on the flat bed of the truck. These rotors, some bigger than an oil barrel, are wrapped with electrified wires each with alternating insulated and bare un-insulated sections. The alternating wire segments provide the "program" or sequence to light each bulb on the lantern. As they are held against the rotor, the lamp circuit wires pick up electricity from each un-insulated section of wire. The 6 separate rotors are turned manually, and control different elements of the various designs. A conductor coordinates the activities of the 6 rotor operators to produce the overall effect on the face of the lantern.

The making of parols or Christmas lanterns has a long history in the Philippines which traces back to the beginning of the Spanish Catholic era. The original parols were in the shape of a five-pointed star, to represent the Star of Bethlehem, and used to light the way to Church during the late night masses. Originally the parols were of simple materials such as bamboo and translucent paper. Even in the earliest days, emphasis was placed on producing brilliant colors and lighting effects. The practice of using a covering of sea shell panes called capiz, made the lanterns more fireproof and was natural in the Philippines where capiz was widely used for window panes. It is in this form that the parol is now widely available commercially, lighted by electric bulbs and in the modern era, controlled by a micro-circuit. Although said to derive from the same Spanish origins which led to the piñata in Mexico, the parol has become one of the most uniquely Filipino symbols of the Christmas season.

The San Fernando Lantern Festival traces its origins back to 1904, when the prize lanterns were a mere 2 feet in diameter, and lighted by candles instead of electric lights. Through the years, the tradition of a lantern making competition grew, and in 1928, it is recorded that a contest was held to honor Manuel L. Quezon, first president of the Philippines. The prizes in that competition were awarded by his wife, First Lady Aurora Quezon. In recent years, the emphasis has been on bigger and bigger lanterns, with some talk of making a lantern to be recorded in the Guiness Book of World Records. The city of San Fernando’s association with parol making, and in particular with the Giant Lantern Festival, has given rise to the designation of the city as "Christmas Capital of the Philippines".

As we made our way back to Manila near midnight, MVP members all agreed. Some of the most colorful wonders of the world are right near to home, just waiting to be discovered.