11 December 2014 - The Lebanese community took a rare opportunity to witness for the first time in Lebanon the lighting and display in public of the iconic Philippine Christmas parols during the first-ever Philippine Christmas Festival, which was held on November 30 at the historic UNESCO Palace in Beirut. 

The Philippine parols, which came all the way from Pampanga in Northern Philippines courtesy of Mayor Edwin D. Santiago, took the limelight before the Christmas caroling. They formed the backdrop on the stage, together with the traditional Philippine Christmas lanterns made of bamboo and papel de hapon.

The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music President Dr. Walid Moussalem officially represented the Patron of the event. Minister of Culture Raymond Araygi, led the traditional lighting ceremony, assisted by the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Apostolic Nuncio, Mgr. Gabriele Caccia, and Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Leah Basinang-Ruiz. The audience, numbering about 1,200 enthusiastically participated in the countdown to give the signal to switch on the parols.

To give the Lebanese community more opportunity to see the Philippine Christmas parols, they are currently displayed in the ground floor showroom of the Embassy’s Chancery during the entire Christmas season.

The Philippine Christmas Festival, which also featured the Filipino Christmas Food Tasting and the Christmas caroling, aimed to showcase Filipino culture and traditions during Christmas time and promote cultural understanding between the Philippines and Lebanon. It was organized by the Philippine Embassy and the Filipino community organizations in Lebanon in collaboration with two Lebanese schools namely, Collège Des Frères Mont La Salle and Collège Notre-Dame Des Frères, with the support of BoB Finance Western Union and Qatar Airways. END