SAN FERNANDO, Philippines — In the Christmas-mad Philippines, thousands cheer as hand-crafted lanterns towering six meters (20 feet) high light up the night sky in San Fernando, northwest of the country's capital. The dazzling display of lights, accompanied by religious and festive imagery and soundtracked by Filipino rap and Christmas carols, is part of the annual Giant Lantern Festival. The giant lanterns, submitted for competition at the festival, use 12,000 50-watt bulbs synchronised by 15 kilometers (9.2 miles) of electric cables and symbolise the Star of Bethlehem. Firefighters carrying extinguishers could be seen patrolling the area, as sparks flew from the rotors of at least three lanterns, AFP journalists at the event saw. "Almost all the lantern-makers here are related to each other or are friends with the others," said Florante Parilla, 55, who has been designing the giant lanterns for 30 years.

Source: Philippine Star December 20, 2025 10:41 UTC