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San Francisco- November 1, 2009 - In the coming weeks contingents for the 7th annual parol lantern festival, now entering its seventh year, will be busy designing their lanterns and gearing up for the Tala Awards which will be announced after the parol stroll on the 12th of December at Jessie Square (east plaza of St. Patrick’s Church) in San Francisco.
The theme for this year, which every contingent’s parol lantern makers need to think about, is “Light the way, be counted” in conjunction with the upcoming census 2010 and in partnership with the US Census.
In addition, with the Tala Awards’Grand Prize of $500, second and third prizes, and Directors’ Choice Award, the US Census and parol organizers would recognize contingent that brings in the most number of participant-strollers and expresses the theme collectively.
Since 2003, the annual parol lantern festival has made to the ‘Only in San Francisco’ must-see holiday attractions. The making of parol lanterns, a Filipino tradition of producing Filipino Christmas lanterns, a five-point stars made from bamboos, tissue papers and cellophanes. Parol lanterns are holiday symbol of hope, blessings, prosperity and peace. The parol tradition originated in the Philippines and is rekindled in many cities overseas by Filipino immigrants in their communities.
The parol making usually starts in October and culminates on the second Saturday of December with a parade and holiday program. The Bayanihan Community Center on 1010 Mission Street and 6th Street hosts parol making workshops every Friday from 5 to 8 pm. This is open to the public. The Bayanihan Community Center accepts donation to cover the cost of supplies and materials in producing parol lanterns.
The other activities related to the Parol Lantern Festival are the following:
Dec. 6, 2009 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm Parol Lecture Demonstration by MC Canlas at Asian Art Museum (200 Larkin Street, San Francisco)
Dec.6, 2009 from 1 pm to 4 pm Parol Making Workshop at Asian Art Museum
Dec.8, 2009 from 5:30 to 8 pm Parol Lantern Procession in conjunction with Simbang Gabi Commissioning at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption.
Dec. 12, 2009 from 3:00 pm to 6 pm – activities include “On the Spot Parol Making Contests,” “Pin the Tail” (Ikabit ang buntot ng parol), “Puto Bumbong Cooking Demonstration and Tasting” and many more. Activities are to be held at the walkway between Yerba Buena Lane and Jessie Square.
Dec. 12 2009 from 6:00 pm to 8 pm Parol Stroll (Parol Lantern Pageant), Tala Awards and Holiday Program at the Jessie Square.
The annual parol lantern festival is presented by the Filipino American Development Foundation and KulArts and close partnership with the MJM Management, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, St. Patrick’s Parish, and supported in part by the PG&E and Grants for the Arts. The media partners are ABS-CBN International, Asian Week Foundation and Inquirer.net.
For more information, and if you want to participate in the parol making workshops and/or join the contingents for the parol stroll, please email parolsf@gmail.com, or call 415-348-8042.
