14 January 2016 - The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco participated in the 13th Annual San Francisco Parol Lantern Festival and Parade, held at the Yerba Buena Gardens on December 12.
The Lantern Festival and Parade is an event held by Bayanihan Community Center, and has been part of the City of San Francisco’s calendar for 13 years. The Community has grown to look forward to the lantern-making workshops and the parade, which displays the beautiful parols in an annual event that attracts people of all ages and nationalities. With the theme “Giving Light to the Future,” the Lantern Festival and Parade is open to organizations that come up with their own unique take on the Christmas parol, and the significance that it carries for the organization and the Community.
The Philippine Consulate’s parol entry was inspired by the spirit of “bayanihan,” which is traditionally depicted by friends and family of the home-owner transporting a bahay kubo from one location to another. This act of bayanihan involves the community, and is made more meaningful because it emphasizes the confidence of entrusting our homes in the hands of others.
This year, the Consulate’s message is to encourage the Filipino-American Community to continue in its journey as part of the Filipino diaspora, striving to be vital and productive members of the social fabric of America and pressing forward together to dream of a brighter future for ourselves and the next generation of Filipino-Americans. The bahay kubo was adorned with small parols to light the way in the shared journey of the Community.
Winners of the Lantern Festival and Parade were invited to display their parols at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center, which were prominently displayed during the 2nd Parol-Lighting Ceremony of the Consulate General on December 18, 2015, and the year-end thanksgiving and commemoration of the death of national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal on December 29, 2015. END