Last Saturday, December 17, I went to see the Giant Lantern Festival in San Fernando, Pampanga. The wet weather in Metro Manila that Saturday afternoon didn’t deter me from going.
The Giant Lantern Festival of San Fernando was said to have started in 1904. As the years go by, the designs have become more intricate and the size got bigger, which is now around 20 feet tall.
In Cubao, I boarded a Bataan Transit Bus, which left a few minutes later. Traffic was crawling when we got out of North Luzon Expressway’s (NLEX) San Fernando Exit. Droves of people were heading to Robinsons Starmills to see the spectacle causing traffic to move slow.
It was past 7 p.m. when I got off the bus. The bus stop was a couple of hundred meters away from Starmills. The parking lot at the back of the mall where the event is taking place was jam-packed with spectators.
I couldn’t get closer to the giant lanterns; they have it cordoned off for VIP and guests. I had to settle some distance away from the lanterns and under the eaves. There was a light drizzle while the competition was going on.
The competition started at 6 p.m. with 10 giant lanterns competing for the top prize. The barangays of Telabastagan, Calulut, San Juan, Dolores and San Pedro were already done when I arrived. I only got to see Sta. Lucia, Del Carmen, Del Pilar, San Jose and Sto. Niño
I was certainly bedazzled by the colors and patterns created by the giant lanterns. I intend to see the Giant Latern Festival again in 2012. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate next year.
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