Philippines: Giant Lantern Festival in full swing
The Philippines’ century-old giant lantern festival has returned after a two-year hiatus from in-person celebrations due to COVID-19, with spectators flocking to San Fernando city in Pampanga province to enjoy the festivity from December 17 to January 1, 2023.
Illustrative image (Photo: Rappler) This year, 10 villages in the city are competing in the giant lantern light show, with one lantern designed to pay tribute to medical workers during the pandemic.
Their representative lanterns measure some 20 feet in diameter and contain over 8,000 light bulbs that flicker in sync with Christmas songs and pop music played in the background.
It takes two to three months and dozens of people to make a giant lantern, typically costing about 16,000 USD. The winning village this year is set to obtain about 5,000 USD, double the prize in previous years.
Home and shops in the Philippines, the largest Catholic country in Asia, hang lanterns during the Christmas season. Pampanga's lantern tradition dates back to 1908, with the first giant lantern festival taking place after electricity was introduced in San Fernando in the early 1930s./.
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