History of the Parol

WRITTEN BY FRANCESA JANA SANTIAGO

With numerous and long-playing festivities, the Philippines’ isn’t Asia’s Christmas Capital for nothing! As early as September, carols are heard, houses gradually get covered with extravagant lights, Filipinos start booking their trips and holiday promos commence. This time of the year is also the peak season for parol production. Parol comes from the Spanish word for “lantern” and it also represents the biblical star that led the Three Kings to the manger where baby Jesus was born. The parol is not only the main symbol for the Philippines’ holiday season but essentially, it's one of the many Christmas traditions that are proudly unique to Filipino culture.

The creation of the parol can be traced back into 1908 and the first credited artist for it was a salt dealer from Pampanga (now the parol capital of the Philippines!) named Francisco Estanislao. He pioneered the 5-pointed star design by using a few strips of bamboo and some Japanese paper and a candle on the inside. Since electricity wasn’t invented then, it’s popularly believed the parols were used to illuminate the dark streets for religious processions. This tradition further strengthened during the Spanish colonial period when Filipinos adapted the Hispanic custom of carrying light sources to Misa de Gallo, otherwise known as Simbang Gabi or the nine-day series of midnight masses.

Parols today come in all shapes, sizes and material too such as capiz shells, abaca, glass and even recycled trash. Modern parols have grown to embody intricate and bold patterns and sometimes are even technologically powered to put on a tantalizing light show. It’s no exaggeration too that you can easily find a parol in almost any corner of the Philippines but what a lot of people don’t know is that despite not being a lucrative industry, parols have provided livelihoods to many of the Philippines’ rural artisans, rehabilitating prisoners and elderly during a financially complicated season.

The way Filipinos celebrate Christmas has always been one of a kind and in every Christmas festival, parade or event across the country, a parol is 100% present. Filipino communities overseas also ensure to have one light up their homes too, but these are more than just decorations. In fact, one regular-sized lantern can take over a week to complete and each one was crafted with callous hands and bent backs. This means that parols are both an embodiment of the colorful Christmas culture of Filipinos, at the same time their value for hard work that takes to be able to celebrate such a holiday.