Giant lanterns shine for safety, frontliners

COLORS OF HOPE. Rotor operators dance and skillfully drive the cylindrical drums that deliver the colors of hope in the 2021 Giant Lantern Festival exhibition at Robinsons Starmills, City of San Fernando, Pampanga starting December 16, 2021. (Chris Navarro)

THE giant lanterns for 2021 from the City of San Fernando’s seven barangays — Bulaon, Calulut, San Juan, San Nicolas, Sta. Lucia, Sto. Niño, and Telabastagan — on December 16, 2021, are shining to promote safety amid the Covid-19 pandemic, as well paying tribute to health and economic frontliners.

During the first night of the “Ligligan Parul” or Giant Lantern Festival (GLF) at Robinsons Starmills, all the seven works of art by renowned lantern makers carried messages of safety and tributes, like “stay safe,” “thank u frontliners” and “get vaccinated” embedded in their plays skillfully flashed with the rotor drivers.

It is an innovative way to show that the City of San Fernando continues to promote and implement safe tourism amidst the current global health crisis, said Tourism Officer Ching Pangilinan.

She said like in 2020, the GLF exhibition sans the usual competition, was shown on various digital platforms and on live-streamed on regional TV network CLTV 36, and committee-managed Facebook pages and other video sharing platforms.

Robinsons Starmills Pampanga, the usual venue for the main show and exhibitions, will not be open for physical audiences as everyone is encouraged to watch at the comfort of their homes. Exhibition days will be exclusively for drive-in audiences and no walk-ins will be allowed.

Mayor Edwin Santiago, who leads this year’s committee as honorary chairperson, along with Vice Mayor Jimmy Lazatin as honorary vice chairperson and Roberto Hizon as chairperson, said culture and tradition must go on despite the raging coronavirus crisis.

“May pandemiya man o wala, magpapatuloy ang kultura at tradisyon sa Siyudad San Fernando. Ang gusto natin, maipalaganap ng mga parol natin ang mensahe ng pagmamahal, pag-asa, at pananampalataya. Naging mas makabuluhan pa ito ngayong may krisis,” Santiago said.

The Giant Lantern Festival is an annual event of the City Government of San Fernando and Giant Lantern Festival Foundation, Inc. Lantern-making, in general, earned San Fernando the title “Asia’s Home of the Giant Lanterns” and “Christmas Capital of the Philippines,” and distinction as “2018 Top Tourism Hub in the Philippines.” (JTD)

Giant lanterns shine for safety, frontliners
Source: Sonstar