The Giant Lantern Festival is an annual celebration held in San Fernando, Pampanga. This event features the biggest and most colorful lanterns which are made through the efforts of numerous men. Due to the popularity of their Christmas Lanterns, San Fernando, Pampanga has been hailed as the Christmas Capital of the Philippines.
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Giant Lantern Festival 2014
The Giant Lantern Festival is an annual celebration which is held on the Saturday before Christmas Eve. This year (2014), the Giant Lantern Festival will be held on December 20, 2014 (Saturday).
The whole of San Fernando, Pampanga comes alive as the lights of the Giant Lanterns spread throughout the town and present their entries for the year’s Giant Lantern Festival.
Highlights of Giant Lantern Festival
The Giant Lantern Festival is a product of the combined efforts of each barangays of San Fernando. Wanting to join the festival, these people dedicate their time, effort and creativity to come up with the biggest and grandest lantern. Anchored with the tradition of this province, the people take these lanterns seriously as they spend hundreds of thousands to finish their entry.
These lanterns are not only enormous, they are also equipped with lights which grooves in time with the music. Having to come up with such large and musically-timed lightings, it usually takes months to complete this 20 feet lantern.
What is Giant Lantern Festival?
The Giant Lantern Festival is an annual event where each barangays of San Fernando, Pampanga features their entry of the year’s biggest and grandest Christmas Lantern. Each lantern is measured approximately 20 feet in diameter and is featured with eccentric designs and dancing lights.
Giant Lantern Festival: Main Attractions
Giant Lanterns and Lights Display
The Giant Lantern Festival features numerous lanterns measuring about 20 feet and more in diameter. This festival features a contest of the best lanterns. Here, the participants are given 5 minutes each to showcase their lanterns light effect to a tune which shall be chosen by the competitors. As the contest prospers, they present the lanterns in a group of three.
During the finale, the lanterns are displayed side by side and features light display to the tune which shall be chosen by the contest organizers.
History of Giant Lantern Festival
The first Giant Lantern Festival was held in San Fernando, Pampanga in 1904. It was held as a celebration when the provincial capital was transferred from Bacolor to San Fernando. However, the display of Christmas lanterns was rooted from the Pampango tradition and was practiced as early as 1830. These lanterns were made as a form of religious symbols.
During the earlier festivals, the lanterns which were featured during the festival were merely 2 feet in diameter. As years go by, more and more barangays join the annual festival and has continued to grow all throughout the country. Now, the Giant Lantern Festival is one of the most popular festivals and features the biggest and the most outstanding Christmas lanterns each year.
Recommendations: Christmas Lantern
Bring a camera: With the display of the biggest and most eccentric designs of lanterns, this is your chance to take photos as you shall not be able to see a collection of lanterns like this anywhere else.
Useful Information about Christmas Lantern
Due to the popularity of their giant lanterns, the city of San Fernando, Pampanga is now known as the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines.”
People of San Fernando take pride in their giant lanterns and give their all for this event. An average spending for each giant lantern would be around P300,000. This is the product of the combined efforts and contributions of the barangay.
Hoping to get into the Guiness Book of World Record, 100 men worked together to come up with the world’s biggest lantern, which measures about 100 feet in diameter.
Each lantern requires at least 50 persons to assemble. Also, most of these lanterns would take months to a year to complete.
Location: San Fernando, Pampanga
How to get there
To get to the Giant Lantern Festival, you shall take a bus ride to Mabalacat, Pampanga. From the bus station, you will need to ride a jeep to bring you to San Fernando, Pampanga.
Date: The Giant Lantern Festival is held on the Saturday before Christmas Eve. This year, the Giant Lantern Festival will be held on December 20, 2014
Giant Lantern Festival 2015
The Giant Lantern Festival will occur on a Satuday, 19th day of December 2015.
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