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.

Some of the parol (Christmas lanterns) sold in Barangay Valencia, Quezon City.

This giant Christmas lantern took two days to assemble. When it stands at full height, it is taller than I.

Capiz lanterns are available all year round in the area.

The Capiz lanterns are colorful and well-made.

How many 5-pointed figures can you find in this Christmas lantern?

And here, how many leaves can you count?

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”. 🙂

The kaleidoscope of colors of a Capiz lantern.

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.

This Capiz lantern changes colors as often as women change their minds, so it deserves a part A.

And a part B.

This Capiz lantern is my second favorite. It is big, bold and beautiful.

And here it is again. ☺

This Capiz lantern is small, but its single-color scheme makes it stand out in a sea of colors.

Notice the Sagrada Familia in the middle of this Capiz lantern.

These two Capiz lanterns are friends for life.

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