Parol: A Prismatic Yuletide Journey

The sound of Christmas music on the radio; the aroma of bibingka paskwa and tinubongs being sold around town; the flickering lights and well-wrapped gifts below the Christmas tree; and most especially, traditional Filipino parols hung outside almost every Filipino abode, shining throughout the night. Without these things, the Christmas season would definitely be incomplete. This year, my Christmas was different than those I had experienced a year and a half ago.

Waking up to the tune of classic Christmas hits like Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas is You and Ryan Cayabyab's Kumukuti-kutitap, it warms my heart to feel the spirit of Christmas in our hearts again. It flashes back all the memories I had when I was a child, happily opening the presents given by my godparents. This year, I celebrated the Yuletide season with my family in Sinait. We wanted to try and experience how Christmas would be with our grandmother beside us. Before the clock struck 12, I was watching several Netflix films with my siblings, helping my mother prepare our Noche Buena for this year, and sleeping exhausted from traveling from Vigan to Sinait. I was in deep sleep when my mother woke me up, reminding me of the time, and I instantly jumped out of bed and got out of the room to wait for the countdown. When the clock stroked past 12, I happily ate the delights that we had prepared, and I suddenly thought that something was missing. The sound of fireworks in our abode back in Vigan was nowhere to be heard. Of course, it felt strange at first, but that feeling was swayed by the happiness I felt because I had celebrated Christmas with my grandparents. With the love and joy we had shared with each other, that was enough to make my Christmas memorable and complete.

 

We cannot deny the fact that this pandemic had a significant impact on our lives, altering the way of life we had before and modifying the way we celebrate joyful events, including Christmas, but several Christmas traditions are not forgotten. For instance, centuries ago, parols were used to light the way for Filipinos who wanted to attend Misa de Gallos at dawn. With this in mind, we, Filipinos, do have distinct characteristics like parols in our own way. In times of darkness, the feeling of being distraught shrouds us. But when we light up our uplifting, optimistic, and vivid persona as one, we can establish a spark that will light up our world filled with darkness brought by problems and trials that we face in life. We do not possess the power to go back to the present, but we surely do have the power to create our own future. If we choose to linger with the gloomy, depressing past brought on by this virus, then so be it. But if we choose to move on and create more ideas with our confident and optimistic personalities, then we could create a brighter, clearer, and safer future for ourselves and for future generations. In every second that we have in life, we should think of what would be best for us, and we should do what makes us complete. Surround yourself with people that matter to you the most, and continue to be a catalyst for inspirational change. With a colorful and sanguine personality, you can for sure make a difference and achieve a more complete, prismatic tomorrow.

Reference: Mother and Child, Philippine Christmas Parol by The Best of Philippine Arts and Tourism. (n.d.). Fine Art America. https://fineartamerica.com/featured/mother-and-child-philippine-christmas-parol-the-best-of-philippine-arts-and-tourism.html