‘Parul’ still a must-see Christmas symbol

LIGHTS ON In Dagupan City, residents find a new attraction in Quintos Bridge which has been lighted this week to give pandemic-weary locals something to cheer about. Other provinces, like Pampanga, have also started putting up Christmas lights and “parul” in public areas and along major roads. —WILLIE LOMIBAO

MABALACAT CITY — While most big shopping malls in Pampanga province seem to prefer giant Christmas trees as their way of announcing the approaching Yuletide season, many Kapampangan, including local governments, still choose the “parul” (Christmas lantern) as the main symbol of this festive season.

In nearby Angeles City, bridges connecting its southern and northern villages along Abacan River have been decorated by bright, colorful lanterns as early as Aug. 31 even if Pampanga and the rest of the country experienced a new wave of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The city government said the lanterns would give motorists and residents joy and a hope for brighter days ahead.

“Christmas is coming. This came to my mind and my heart jumped a bit the first time I saw the Christmas lanterns as we were passing the Abacan Bridge one September evening,” Desiree dela Cruz, 45, a resident of this city, told the Inquirer in the vernacular.

She added: “They somehow gave me a feeling of happiness and the thought that God would not forsake us in this time of pandemic.”

In front of the Mabalacat City Hall, a colorful parul was installed, providing a backdrop for “selfies” among city folk and residents of nearby towns of Tarlac who visit the area at night.

“We went to see it a few days ago. I thought it was a giant lantern, it was not. But it was pretty and there were a lot of people going there to see it and to take their photos with it,” Carmelita Torres, 78, said.

BRIGHT NIGHT Colorful Christmas lanterns fill the busy Jose Abad Santos Avenue in the City of San Fernando.—PHOTO COURTESY OF PAMPANGA PROVINCIAL INFORMATION OFFICE

Attraction

In the capital City of San Fernando, the old City Hall across San Fernando Cathedral has become an attraction for people wanting to see the large and colorful lantern there.

Jose Abad Santos Avenue, formerly known as Gapan-San Fernando-Olongapo Road, has been filled with multicolored and bright lanterns attached to the light poles.

Along the stretch of Dau-North Luzon Expressway access road in this city are several lantern stores that offer parul in varied shapes and colors. Lanterns and similar Christmas decors can be bought there throughout the year.