Dusk is impatiently chasing away daylight and each succeeding night is increasingly colder than the previous one. The Halloween ornaments slowly crept back to their crypts and festive ginormous trees stand in their stead. The stretch of road between Ortigas Avenue and Gilmore Avenue twinkles in the night with the hundreds of parol (Christmas lanterns) and their mutations delighting every passerby. Now I can say that it is almost Christmas.
Two weeks ago, I dropped by that stretch of road in Barangay Valencia where parol are sold all year round. It is a short walk from where I live and the pichi-pichi sold in the area is good. I was not able to eat the pichi-pichi I bought, but I succeeded in taking photos of the playful parol.
Most of the parol are made of Capiz shells, which the sellers buy from Capiz and the rest of Panay. They assemble the shells, add lights for pomp and voila, a Capiz lantern!
For more Christmas cheer, please read Christmas 2016 - Starless Parol Edition.
This giant Christmas lantern took two days to assemble. When it stands at full height, it is taller than I.
The Capiz lanterns look gorgeous as they are but they are dazzling when their lights are dancing like little ballerinas.
The constantly changing lights of the Capiz lantern. I know only the border changes colors, but I am sticking to “constantly changing”. 🙂
This one is the closest approximation of the parol I knew growing up - a five-pointed star one but without the concentric stars and the changing colors.
My favorite among all the Capiz lanterns I met that night. ☺ She looks immaculately understated. Yes, she is a lady.
Based on my conversations with the sellers and owners, prices of parol range from P1,700 (US $37.23) to P5,500 (US $120.46).
For more information about the Christmas lanterns sold in Barangay Valencia, Quezon City, please contact the following:
Jojit Balderlomar of Prince Josh Lantern, mobile number 0908-2603717
Nena Odoño of Nenstar, mobile number 0926-5012626 and landline (02)6560382
Loyski BFA Capiz Lantern, mobile number 0932-6485500
hello, do you deliver abroad? and if so how much to Seattle Washington?
Hello, Tess! I am not a seller of these parol. I just featured them on this blog. Kindly contact the number written on this entry. Thank you.
Merry Christmas!