The Legend of THE FILIPINO LANTERN

(ENGLISH VERSION)

Written by: FERNANDO F. SACDALAN

Translated by: RONNIE LIM

The Legend of Parol English Version

THE FIRST CHRISTIANS

Spain brought Christianity to the when it “discovered” the islands in the 15th century. Because of this, the are the first Christians in Asia. They have been celebrating Christmas ever since Rajah Humabon and his wife, king and queen of Cebu, received Christianity from the explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

THE CHURCHES

The Spanish conquistadores stayed in the islands for more than three centuries. As the Spaniards propagated Christianity, Filipinos soon started building churches made of , wood and palm leaves. But they found that these materials easily deteriorated under the weather, and overtime they improved the buildings with the use of stone, marble and hardwood. They found these materials in the surrounding forests and mountains. The growing population necessitated the construction of much bigger churches to accommodate all the people. In each of the churches, they build the roof way up high, and the campanario (bell tower) was several stories higher than the roof. The doors and windows were made of hardwood, the marble floors polished to the point of mirro-like sheen you could see your image when you look down on the floor. With the church’s size and beauty, you could feel as if you are entering a palace in grand splendor.

COCONUT OIL

In those years, electricity had yet to be discovered, for lighting, Filipinos developed a way to get the oil from the fruit of the coconut tree, which grew in abundance everywhere in the islands. They discovered using the coconut oil to light up their lanterns and torches. Extracting oil from coconut meat was not an easy process. First, mature coconut meat had to be grated and squeezed hard by hand to bring out the milky white cream. The milk would then have to be boiled for a long time to vaporize all the water, leaving the oil. Nowadays, the process of coconut oil extraction is done by steam- drying the coconut meat into copra, then crushing it to produce the oil.

One day in December, when the folks were busy going about their business for the coming Christmas, the village head gathered his community and warned against the use of too much coconut oil, to light up the church lanterns for the celebration. Even in those early times, Filipinos were aware of their material limitations and strove to adopt conservation methods in their lives. Someone Early Morning Mass or Dawn Mass, or ; it was easily disapproved for it has become a community tradition to attend Mass at dawn on the nine days before Christmas, and at the stroke of midnight on this very special day. For practical reasons the fishermen among the villagers needed to hear Mass before sailing out the day’s catch. Others suggested that they harvest all the mature coconuts in the surroundin village for the oil, but many families objected to this for they also needed the coconut for cooking. Still other folks suggested that they use less lanterns to decorate the church inside and out; again this was voted down as it has become a grand tradition to make the community’s religious and social center as brightly lit as they could to symbolize the brightness of hope among the villagers of the coming birth of the Savior. So, since those early years, Filipino communities everywhere have kept the tradition of lighting as many lanterns as possible. The original “problem” of our ancestors was resolved in favor of compromise and balance – life in the community went on and the coconut continued to be the source of oil for both lighting and cooking.

DAWN MASSES

December is cool season in the Philippines. The air is fresh and crisp, particularly in the early morning hours, a feeling Christmas bringing goodwill to one and all. Folks young and old go about their day in newly- bought attire, feeling the excitement that Christmas brings. Houses are cleaned, backyard swept, the community puts on activities that nurture the soul the church revives its choir, a stage play is performed, a big band goes around the neighborhoods bringing music to households and going to dawn masses from the 16th to the 24th of the month. The Spaniards called it , Mass of the Roosters, because at 4 a.m. roosters start to crow. After Mass, the congregants are ready for breakfast and food vendors are already set up outside the church and the roads are leading to it, selling native fare like puto bumbong, and suman, served with freshly grated coconut meat sprinkled with brown sugar and wrapped in banana leaves, cooked right behind their respective stalls in a clay stove. A clay pot on the stove over firewood embers, steaming the delicacies into hot and hearty breakfast goodness. The special kalamay or bibingka, at a slightly higher price, is garnished with grated white cheese or slices of salted egg. The goodies usually come with salabat, a hot ginger drink laced with honey or brown sugar.

NOCHE BUENA

In those days, Children are only brought to church during special occasions like their birthday, baptism, confirmation, as part of a wedding entourage as flower girl or ring bearer, or on Christmas Eve. Parents did not like bringing their children to church on regular Sundays because they did not want the service disturbed by their children’s noise, disruptive antics; when babies cry during mass, parents would be hard- pressed to make them stop crying. Children are happiest during Noche Buena (good night) because this is one supper time that they see their dinner table full of delicious foods. As midnight approached to turn into Christmas Day, families all over the islands gather at the dinner table to partake of the gastronomic bounty. After the Noche Buena comes the opening of, their aginaldo, Christmas presents. Some families do this right after dinner; other hold until after they wake up in the morning. Children eagerly anticipate the toys they get from their godparents, as they perceive them to be more fun, like toys, than those from their parents who tend to give them items of clothing.

ANDONG’S LAMP

There was a nine-year old boy named Andong. His parents were farmers. Andong was a good, well-behaved boy who liked to create little things with his hands. He wanted to make something that he could offer to the church, but he didn’t have money to buy the materials needed to create it. So he went around the neighborhood streets looking for sticks of bamboo and pieces of . He would make a frame and put their old lamp inside it, bring it to church and help brighten the Christmas spirit in the community. Once he found enough sticks, he tied them together with pieces of string from his old kite, and pasted the pieces of paper wrappers called pabalat from candy called pastillas to make the frame in the shape of star. He liked the look of the frame as the paper of the wrappers were in different colors. After a while, he was finished making the frame. Andong asked permission from his mother, Aling (Mrs.) Maria, to bring the lamp to chuch, which is not far from their house. Along the way, other children were playing; school was out for the holidays. Some of the boys asked him to stop and play with them, but he begged off and went on walking and carefully holding the lamp with both hands. He didn’t want to drop it because the lamp had oil in it. But another group of boys blocked his way and asked what he was carrying. One of them asked “May I see?” while he touched the thin paper covering the frame. But Andong yelled “Don’t touch it!” and jerked his hands away from the boy. The other boys were now surrounding him, laughing at the shape of the thing he was holding.

Fearing they might destroy his creation, Andong averted the boys and stepped onto a clear path to continue his journey, but suddenly another boy bumped him. He dropped the lamp and it fell to the ground. Sensing trouble and fearing they would be blamed for the accident. The boys ran away, leaving Andong with the damaged frame. Some of the sticks broke and tore holes in the paper lining, but luckily the lamp bottle did not break and the oil did not spill. Frustrated and almost crying, he picked up the pieces and walked back home. It was getting dark, but there was still time for Andong to go out and look for more sticks. After a while he found enough. At dinner his parents didn’t notice him hurrying. He also did not tell what happened. He was bent on fixing his frame. Tomorrow would be Sunday and he would ask his mom to bring his lamp to church. What wrapped his star-shaped lantern became a patchwork in different colors of pastillas candy wrapper paper, good pieces to use because light would shine through it when the lamp is lit. It was almost morning when he finished fixing the lantern.

He slept soundly for the few hours before breakfast, brought on by his effort to finish his project. He felt good that was able to create a thing of beauty that he would offer to help decorate their church. His sleep brought on a dream. Light filtered into his room through the small holes in his capiz shell window. Slowly he opens it, and a gush pushes him out. Andong feels floating in air heading up into the sky. Now he is seeing rooftops, trees and hills from above. Is he flying? Floating on air? He is not afraid, he likes what he sees. Then the houses are getting smaller, now he’s seeing the whole island, like he’s seeing a really big map of the Philippines. It’s dark where he is, there’s no moonshine, so the stars are shining a lot brighter right before him. He looks to the East and sees little children with wings playing music. They’re floating towards Andong. I must be in heaven, Andong is thinking. But the angels he’s seeing look different from those he has seen in church and school books; they are dressed in native Filipino attire. Even the instruments they play are different. One is using a balingling, nose flute, another have an agong from Mindanao, and tambourine made of small metal string on rounded wire. There are no violins or harps. They don’t speak, but continue to play music as they surround Andong, gently flapping their wings. Then slowly, they take Andong’s hand and pull him higher up. They are now in outer space; Andong couldn’t see his hands anymore. From pitch darkness, he is suddenly surrounded by bright light. It seems it’s coming from a hundred points of different shapes, sizes and colors. Or maybe five thousand. Or ten million. I don’t know, Andong thought, there’s too many of them to count! He doesn’t notice the angels are gone. He gets closer to the light. He notices that each and everyone of them is a . Many are small and some are huge. He hasn’t seen this kind of lantern and the different shapes they have. Curious, he investigates. He soars above a big one and looks inside. There is a brightness but he hears someone calling, “Hoy Andong!” Aling Maria was shaking him. “Wake up, your breakfast is getting cold,” the barely awake Andong heard his mother’s voice tell him. She left the room as he struggled to rise from the bamboo cot. In the kitchen after breakfast, he talked to his mother. “Inay, (mom) can you take my little lamp to church. I want it displayed among the other lanterns in church for the simbang gabi” (early morning mass). “Okay, son,” his mother said. “Don’t worry, I will remember to light your lantern every night before Mass,” she promised, and her response made Andong’s face glow with happiness.

A crowd was quickly gathering when Aling Maria arrived at church. She found a spot for Andong’s little lamp among the other lamps arrayed in a line along the front right before the altar. But as the other lamps were burning brightly, Andong’s lamp had a short wick, and the light flickered tentatively but stayed on. Aling Maria proceeded to kneel in one of the front pews and waited for the Mass to begin.

IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!

The days got more busier and more festive. The band and the choir continued their rehearsals for their Christmas performances. Carpenters had also build the manger which would become the centerpiece of the decoration, to be filled with dried rice stalks to form the bed where baby would lay. Everyone in the village seemed to be doing something to celebrate the season. They seemed to have forgotten their earlier problem of a potential coconut oil shortage with the increased demand.

On the last evening before Christmas, everyone in the village is in the church, packed inside and still more people lingered outside, heard the Midnight Mass celebrating the birth of Jesus. Inside the church was tight and stuffy, but outside there was a little breeze. People were in their best appearance and behavior. They greeted each other and smiles were on their faces. After the final blessing the sat ready to hear the music and watch the performances. The emcee rose to the stage in front of the altar and began introducing the show’s participants. The brass band started playing music. Next came a dramatic rendition of a play titled Panunuluyan. The crowd stirred when the children’s choir came next, each parent proudly pointing to where their young sons and daughters stood in the choir. When they sang, their voices pierced your soul. They had mastered their notes and sang without looking at any lyrics. They were on their third Noel when the stage started to darken, the lights in the lamps were being extinguished one by one, but no one was blowing the lights out. They were running out of oil! The crowd was quiet, thinking the dark setting was part of the show. The choir continued on its repertoire of carols, and the lamps kept on extinguishing until only one lantern was lit. It was one of the small lamps that emitted flickers of light in different colors, now yellow, then orange sometimes bluish.

As the choir ended its last piece, the emcee raise the lantern and brought it down from the stage and walked toward one side of the altar. It was a single light in a sea of darkness, the crowd quietly experiencing the heavenly glow from the lone lamp. It was a moving feeling, providing a peaceful mood inside the church, as if the whole village was witnessing the arrival of baby Jesus to this world, and the light shining that manger came from Andong’s little parol.

THE FILIPINO PAROL TODAY

Filipinos are now found anywhere in the world today; economic necessity has brought about this new diaspora. They would sacrifice being far from our loved ones in hopes of a better future. So every Christmas season, in or away from their native land, in any personal situation, Filipinos everywhere continue the cultural tradition of hanging a parol in their window to guide travelers along their way. Filipino Christmas lanterns today come in different sizes and shapes, designs and colors, elegance and brightness. Centerpiece lanterns made so big you need a pick up truck to haul it. But in simplicity, nothing will compare to the little parol that yound Andong made from bamboo sticks and pabalat (wrappers). Today, church doors are open to all children at any occasion. They are an integral part of any celebration or program anytime, not just every CHRISTMAS TIME!

About Fernando F. Sacdalan

The author worked in Manila as an optometrist before immigrating to Portland, Oregon in 1973. There she met and married his wife Adela Corpuz Buen. Ferdie dabbles in any form of creative art, be it portrait painting, calligraphy, photography, clay sculptures and topiary, among others. Three of his sculptures are permanently enshrined at Dambana -The Filipino Shrine on the upper gardens of the Portland Grotto in Portland, Oregon. He teaches Filipino Folk Arts in Oregon and Washington states and his specialty is parol-making. He couldn’t find books or any information about the legend of the parol on the internet, so he wrote one. This is his first published book and he is dedicating it to his two grandchildren, Braxton Clark Liggett and his sister Kyra Charisse Liggett.

The Parol is the symbol of a Filipino Christmas. Like most folk arts from other cultures, nobody knows exactly where or how the parol originated. Young Andong in my story has the ability, patience, and skill to create something of lasting significance. Let us follow his simple but meaningful dream of a lifetime, while we enjoy the incomparable experience of a FILIPINO CHRISTMAS…

Copyright May 20, 2014 Philippine National Library Published by: Zarvin L. Sacdalan