There’s nothing wrong if a Filipina wants to have a foreign bf or husband however I hope our women will not use these men as their ticket to easy life. It’s not fair.

Great article! Hope the foreigners read this article to avoid any problem during their travel here.

Yeah there are heaps of shopping places in the San Fernando and Angeles Cities, although I would usually shy away from these monstrosities – let Manila have its shopping malls. :) To get the best of Kapampangan culture, shop from Mekeni, and Pampanga’s Best as well some of the smaller shops outside these malls. :) I am kind of against the idea of patronizing duty free items, but it is just because of some personal reasons (and patriotic duty). I’ll buy Filipino first before I buy imported products. :)

Cheers and thanks again for reading!

Ryan

The predecessor of the modern day Giant Lantern Festival was actually a religious activity which we know today as “lubenas.” The lanterns measured just two feet in diameter, a far cry from the 20 feet that we see today. These were created in each barrio from bamboo and other locally available materials.

This tradition gradually evolved as the lanterns became bigger and the designs more intricate. 1931 was when electricity was introduced to the San Fernando lantern, thus sparking the birth of the first Giant Lantern Festival. The added illusion of dancing lights highlighted the bright colors and intricate designs of these Giant Lanterns. At this time, the lights were controlled by individual switches that were turned on and off following the beat of the music.

Colored plastic replaced the traditional papel de hapon. Large steel barrels called rotors also substituted the hand-controlled switches to manipulate the lights. Strips of masking tape on these rotors determine the sequence of the switching on and off of the lights.

When a certain hairpin hits a strip of masking tape, the current to a specific set of bulbs is temporarily cut thus switching off that particular set of bulbs. When that particular hairpin regains contact with the steel barrel, the bulbs are again lit. Thus, the placement of the masking tape on the rotors determines the interplay of lights on the lanterns and can spell success or disaster for each entry.

Thinking about it, one needs a lot of creativity and technical know-how in designing a giant lantern. It is not as easy as getting a pen and paper and drawing a symmetrical design. As the giant lantern maker visualizes his design, he also has to take into consideration the interplay of lights and colors. And just to illustrate the magnitude of difficulty, the designer should be able to picture when each of the 3,500 light bulbs should go on and off. And just to stress, no computers are involved in the interplay of lights. Everything is done manually, yet the result produced by the lantern makers of San Fernando can even rival light effects done by computers.

The design, however, is just a part of the actual labor involved in the creation of a giant lantern. Once this has been finalized, the lantern makers weld together a steel frame, which follows the design itself. This is the first step in the actual construction of the giant lantern. The frame is then lined with cardboard and foil. This is followed by another monumental task, placing the over 3,000 light bulbs in their proper places and wiring them up together. Even an expert electrical engineer would go crazy while working on this intricate network composed of hundreds of yards of electrical wires.

The wires are then connected to the rotors. And let me stress rotors with an “s” since barangays have to change the interplay of lights with each tune. In fact, some barangays even use as much as eight to ten of these steel barrels for variety in movement. Finally, there is of course the plastic covering, which is cut and shaped precisely to fit each section.

Having said that, this is a community wide effort. an Fernando giant lanterns have graced many international events such as the 75th Anniversary of the Philippine-Hawaii Commission way back in 1979, the Kutnitchiwa Asian Fair in Yokohama, Japan (1989) and the World Expo in Seville, Spain (1992) among others. But the most notable of these appearances was during the Hollywood Christmas Parade of 1993 where the San Fernando lantern adorned the Philippine float entry to the parade. The Philippine float won top honors for that year.

I believe that they don’t necessarily destroy the lanterns after each show (maybe they would make some new adjustments for new designs for the following year). Like most festivals in the Philippines, concerts and of course food kiosks are available around the area. After all, it is another excuse for Filipinos to eat and be merry. :)

Hope that helps my friend. :) Some of the information for this reply has been lifted out from http://www.geocities.com/balen_net/lanterns.htm.

Cheers,

Ryan

Feed my curiosity – from Iowa

SM Clark, Robinsons Place, Nepo Mall & Jenra are the best shopping malls in the region, probably have everything you need.

Don’t forget the Duty Free shops inside clark, for a good selection of imported groceries. Everyone can shop at the Duty Free shops, but sometimes you might be taxed 10 pesos for every $10 spent!