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Ivan Anthony S. Henares
c2001

HOW TO MAKE A GIANT LANTERN
The Story Behind the Giant Lanterns of San Fernando

by Ivan Anthony S. Henares


Most only see the finished product. The dynamic nterplay of lights and color that precisely moves with the rhythm of a brass band, the magnitude of size and their intricate designs, and so much more which spectators only get to appreciate as the giant lanterns of San Fernando are pitted against each other on festival night.   No one can dispute the fact that the Giant Lantern Festival of San Fernando is the event that the province of Pampanga is most known for.  And it is sad that we rarely acknowledge the tremendous preparation and investment the makers put in each of these giant lanterns.

The Giant Lantern Festival finds its roots in Bacolor where a much simpler activity was held.  Following the transfer of the provincial capital from Bacolor to San Fernando, this parul event followed as well.  "Ligligan Parul" was said to have started in San Fernando in the year 1904.  But San Fernando local historian Geronimo del Rosario says that the "Ligligan Parul" did not happen immediately after the transfer and in fact began in 1908.

This predecessor of the modern day Giant Lantern Festival, was actually a religious activity.  The lanterns measured just two feet in diameter, a far cry from the fifteen feet that we see today.  These were created in each barrio from bamboo and other locally available materials.  During the nine-day novena before Christmas, which coincided with the simbang gabi from
December 16 to 24, these paruls were brought around each barrio in procession to their visita.  Before the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the lanterns were brought to the town church together with the barrio patrons.

This tradition gradually evolved as the lanterns became bigger and the designs more intricate.  Later, only one lantern was made for each barrio, which was created through a cooperative effort.  Each resident contributed to its construction, from the concept and design, to the materials and labor.  In the end, these lanterns became a symbol of unity for the barrios.

It was in the year 1931 that electricity was introduced to the San Fernando lantern, thus sparking the birth of the first Giant Lantern Festival.  The added illusion of dancing lights highlighted the bright colors and intricate designs of these Giant Lanterns.  At this time, the lights were controlled by individual switches that were turned on and off following the beat of the music. The barangays of Del Pilar, Sta. Lucia and San Jose were among the first barangays to participate in the festival.

In years that followed, more innovations were introduced to the giant lanterns.  Colored plastic replaced the traditional papel de hapon.  Large steel barrels called rotors also substituted the hand-controlled switches to manipulate the lights.  Strips of masking tape on these rotors determine the sequence of the switching on and off of the lights.

The technology of the rotor is quite simple actually.  Hairpins, attached to the end of the wires leading to each individual bulb, connect the lights to the rotor, which in turn, is connected to the source of electricity.  As the rotor is turned, the hairpins pass through the strips of masking tape.  When this happens, the current to a specific set of bulbs is temporarily cut, thus switching off that particular set of bulbs.  When that particular hairpin regains contact with the steel barrel, the bulbs are again lit.  Thus, the placement of the masking tape on the rotors determines the interplay of lights on the lanterns and can spell success or disaster for each entry.

Thinking about it, one needs a lot of creativity and technical know-how in designing a giant lantern.  It is not as easy as getting a pen and paper and drawing a symmetrical design.  As the giant lantern maker visualizes his design, he also has to take into consideration the interplay of lights and colors.  And just to illustrate the magnitude of difficulty, the designer should be able to picture when each of the 3,500 light bulbs should go on and off.

The design, however, is just a part of the actual labor involved in the creation of a giant lantern.  Once this has been finalized, the lantern makers weld together a steel frame, which follows the design itself.  This is the first step in the actual construction of the giant lantern.  The frame is then lined with cardboard and foil.  This is followed by another monumental task, placing the over 3,000 light bulbs in their proper places and wiring them up together.  Even an expert electrical engineer would go nuts while working on this intricate network composed of hundreds of yards of electrical wires.

The wires are then connected to the rotors.  And let me stress rotors with an "s" since barangays have to change the interplay of lights with each tune.  In fact, some barangays even use as much as eight of these steel barrels for variety in movement.  Finally, there is of course the plastic covering, which is cut and shaped precisely to fit each section.

The Giant Lantern Festival is an inter-barangay contest. In past festivals, it really was a barangay effort and the best lantern makers of the barangay were called on to create the entry to the competition.  During that time, each participating barangay had resident lantern makers.  However, as the years passed, many of these lantern makers were unable to pass on the trade.  Today, only Del Pilar, Sta. Lucia and San Jose can boast of resident lantern makers.  So to keep the show on the road, other barangays have to rely on lantern makers from other localities.

Ernesto D. Quiwa of Barangay Sta. Lucia is one of these veteran giant lantern makers.  Although from Sta. Lucia, he has actually created lantern entries for other barangays.  During last year's festival, Mang Erning created the entry for Barangay San Nicolas, which was adjudged the over-all champion of the year 2000 competition.  His creations have in fact won the over-all honors in previous years including 1974, 1982, and a three-peat from 1993 to 1995.  This year, he is again making the one for San Nicolas.  In fact, aside from Sta. Lucia's own entry and the entry of San Nicolas, it is said that two other lantern entries are also being made in the same barangay.

With all that discussion on the creation of a giant lantern, one realizes that just by looking at the many materials and the amount of effort put into each lantern, that would of course not be possible without any incurred costs.  And the expenses are definitely not loose change and are said to be close to P100,000 for each of these giant lanterns.  So where do the participating barangays get their funds?

Being the most popular festival in Pampanga and world-renowned at that, no one can blame the City Government of San Fernando for putting so much value on the Giant Lantern Festival.  It in fact provides the funding for most of the expenses of each lantern as it has done so in previous competitions. San Fernando is simply living up to its well-earned name as the unmatched "Christmas Capital of the Philippines."

It is a work of love and full of passion.  The San Fernando giant lantern is a product of Kapampangan innovation, creativity and tireless effort.  So the next time you witness their spectacular display of lights and color, do appreciate the hard work put into each of these works of art that can be considered truly Kapampangan
.

LIGLIGAN PARUL 2001

The City of San Fernando invites everyone to Ligligan Parul, the Giant Lantern Festival for 2001.  This will be on December 22, Saturday, 7 p.m. at the SM City Pampanga Grounds. 

Is The "Real" San Fernando Lantern Making Trade Dying?


It is one of the trades that is undisputedly Kapampangan. Lantern making first began in the town of San Fernando during the early part of this century. What distinguishes the San Fernando lantern from the ordinary parol are the intricate designs and the illusion of dancing lights, which highlight the vibrant colors of the lantern.

The famous San Fernando lantern was made available to the public in 1964.  Mr. Erning Quiwa claims the distinction of being the first lantern maker to
offer these Christmas decors for sale. He began by displaying these in various gas stations and delicacy centers in Metro Manila. The fascination for the lantern soon spread around the country and thus made San Fernando known for this trade.

There is so much export potential for this product as the fascination for this unique display of lights is universal and is much appreciated around the world. As Mang Erning shares, his lanterns have in fact graced many international events such as the Kutnitchiwa Asian Fair in Yokohama, Japan (1989) and the World Expo in Seville, Spain (1992). But the most notable of  these appearances was during the Hollywood Christmas Parade of 1993 where the San Fernando lantern of Mang Erning adorned the Philippine float entry to the parade. The Philippine float won top honors for that year.

Ironically, Mang Erning says that the San Fernando lantern making trade is actually dying. He blames it on the introduction of new materials like capis and Christmas lights. If you happen to pass by the Gapan-Olongapo Road or MacArthur Highway during the evening, you would notice so many new types of lanterns on display, most of which look so ordinary and at times, tasteless. According to Mang Erning, because of the introduction of these ordinary capis parols in San Fernando, the real San Fernando lanterns have to compete with these other decors you can find anywhere in the country.

By introducing these lanterns which are not uniquely Kapampangan, the lantern makers fail to realize that they are gradually killing the trade.  In the future, gone will be the days of the flashing interplay of lights, vibrant colors and intricate designs, when the San Fernando lantern may just be reduced to a thing of the past.

LET US SAVE THIS DYING ART! BUY SAN FERNANDO LANTERNS! AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO DO THE SAME!

A WAKE UP CALL FOR FERNANDINOS

Ask anyone from San Fernando when the pueblo of San Fernando was created. Chances are, they would have no idea at all. That's why the City Government  of San Fernando headed by Mayor Rey Aquino, and the newly created City of San Fernando Historical and Cultural Society made a wake-up call last November 20, 2001, in front of the City Hall of San Fernando, with the launching of the awareness campaigns for the 250th Founding Anniversary Celebrations of San Fernando in the year 2004. That pegs the founding of San Fernando in the year 1754, a fact which historian Mariano A. Henson established as early as the 1960s.

This activity also commemorated the 150th birth anniversary of Mariano Leon Santos y Joven, municipal president of San Fernando from 1902-03.  The guest of honor at the launching was the Hon. Oscar S. Rodriguez, Representative of the Third District of Pampanga, who was overjoyed to note the resurgence of cultural and historical preservation in San Fernando. During his speech, he quoted the popular Filipino salawikain "Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan," stressing the need to realize the the value of preserving ones past for the
road ahead.

Being the future of the city, students from the different elementary and high schools of San Fernando formed the bulk of the crowd at the affair. In fact, the different cultural presentations were rendered by the students themselves. These included a spectacular Sinukuan dance performance from the Sindalan High School, cultural dances rendered by students of the Mother of Good Counsel Seminary, a medley of Kapampangan Songs from the Camp Olivas Elementary School Drum and Lyre Corps, and a very entertaining Crissotan  performance of grade 3 students from Del Carmen, which elicited loud cheers from the crowd.

This is just the beginning of the long needed cultural resurgence in San Fernando. In the end, the success of these campaigns will solely depend on the unity of all Fernandinos to achieve these noble ends.

BE INFORMED! JOIN THE SAN FERNANDO YAHOOGROUP BY SENDING A BLANK MESSAGE TO sanfernando-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Mayor Dr. Rey B. Aquino (second from left) enjoys a light moment during the Launching of the Awareness Campaigns for the 250th Anniversary Celebrations of San Fernando, with (from left) CSFHCS Vice-Chairperson Ivan Anthony Henares, Congressman Oscar Rodriguez, and Vice-Mayor Ely "Tiger" Lagman.