(CHRISTMAS JOY. The old and the young watch in wonder the interplay of lights and colors of the giant Parul Sampernandu at the Heroes Hall in the City of San Fernando. Photo by Bong Lacson)
CLARK FREEPORT – Pampanga’s capital, the City of San Fernando, is preferred to be known as the “Home of the Giant Lanterns,” as it veered away from its moniker – “Christmas Capital of the Philippines.”
City Tourism officer Ching Pangilinan made the statement as she announced that the Giant Lantern Festival 2019 will be on December 14 which is also the start of the 500-day countdown to March 2021, the quincentennial celebration of the “discovery” of the Philippines by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan.
“In 2021, we will be celebrating valor and victory and San Fernando is one of the cities that will showcase our humanity,” Pangilinan said, adding that the city envisions itself as model city of countryside development by 2020.
Pangilinan made the statements at the media forum “Talk Widus” organized by the Pampanga Press Club in cooperation with the Widus Hotel and Casino here last Monday.
“The home of the giant lanterns is rooted in our culture and tradition,” Pangilinan said.
“We veered away from the Christmas Capital title because there are a lot of cities that are claiming to be the Christmas capital although no less than CNN has proclaimed San Fernando as the ‘Christmas capital of Asia’,” she explained.
“But we would rather focus on the Home of the Giant Lantern because this is something that is really intrinsic and the true image our city,” she added.
Pangilinan said among the development agenda of Mayor Edwin “Edsa” D. Santiago is “Agenda No. 9 Kultura at Turismo (culture and tourism).”
“We recognized lantern- making and the Giant Lantern Festival as parts of our intangible cultural heritage,” Pangilinan said.
Pangilinan said CSF’s lantern tradition dates back to the city’s colonial history since Pampanga used to be an Augustinian province. It was founded by the Order of the Augustinians.
For this year, Pangilinan said 12 barangays will join the Giant Lantern Festival.
Meanwhile, Pangilinan said on December 15 to 21 the giant lanterns will still be at Robinsons Starmills while on December 22 the giant lanterns will be at Essel Park Telabastagan.
She added that on December 23 the giant lanterns will be displayed at Greenfi elds in Sindalan and December 24 at the Metropolitan Cathedral which is the essence of the “Ligligan Parul.”
On Christmas Day the lanterns will be back at the Robinsons Starmills until January but will also be displayed for two days at Marquee Mall in Angeles City.
