PH Embassy in Ankara’s Parol Fest Draws International Crowd
Philippine Ambassador to Turkiye Mariel Algabre, Embassy personnel, and members of the Miriam Ana Catholic Church pose with the Christmas Parols made by participants. (Ankara PE photo)
ANKARA, 25 November 2021 – Several Philippine Christmas parols (lanterns) made by 22 participants from the international community of the Meryem Ana Catholic Church, Cankaya, Ankara, were showcased at the Philippine Embassy’s Parol Festival on 20 November 2022.
The Festival aimed to introduce the hand-made star-shaped Christmas parol, a symbol of Filipino Christmas spirit. Recalling the star of Bethlehem that guided the Three Wise Men to the manger of baby Jesus, and expressing shared faith and hope, Filipinos hang parols outside their houses, buildings or in the streets of towns and cities. Whether with simple or intricate designs, a parol shows Filipino ingenuity.
After the international mass officiated by Apostolic Nuncio Bishop Marek Solczynski, the Parol Festival gathered around a hundred churchgoers from the English, Spanish, and French-speaking communities, who actively participated in the Filipino tradition of parol making. The participants, children and adults, had fun creating their own parols and choosing their preferred colors and designs.
The international community also enjoyed Filipino food, such as pancit, lumpiang shanghai, and biko rice cakes, in addition to the delicacies served by the other communities. During the Festival, the Filipino Community members sang Filipino Christmas carols to the delight of the participants.
The Embassy will distribute gifts and certificates of appreciation to all participants who completed their parols at the Simbang Gabi Christmas Party on 18 December 2022 that it will host at the Meryem Ana Grounds.
The Parol Festival is one the activities of the Embassy to share the unique, colorful, and bright Filipino celebration of Christmas. END
International participants try their skills in Parol making. (Ankara PE photo)
Participants showing their finished Parols. (Ankara PE photo)
Embassy personnel and Filipino community members assist participants in making their Parols (Ankara PE photo)
Ambassador Mariel P. Algabre and Minister and Consul General Juan E. Dayang, Jr. with judges of the best parols, including Nigerian Paschal Nwaribe, Spanish Defense Attaché Angel Sevillano Queipo De Llano, and Father Seraphin Kazadi. (Ankara PE photo)
The Philippine Embassy presented a mock-up Bahay Kubo with Parols by Filcom member Joelyn O. Navarro. (Ankara PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.ankarape.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinTurkey/, https://twitter.com/PHinTurkey, or https://www.instagram.com/phinturkey/.