We may have been listening to our Jose Mari Chan songs and Christmas playlists since September, but this time it’s for real. Christmas is fast approaching with a month left to go, and it’s crunch time for Christmas prepping. There are plenty of Christmas traditions to look up and prepare for, and one of those is making sure your decor is complete with a classic Christmas parol.
The Filipino parol is a must-have every Christmas season. Always colorful and lit up from the inside, these Christmas lanterns represent the spirit of the festive season in the Philippines. However, they don’t always come cheap, which is why this DIY parol tutorial from Disney might just save you a couple hundreds or thousands of pesos.
Image adapted from: Disney
No Filipino Christmas is complete without a colorful and luminous parol. We can often see these lanterns while on quick walks outside, as they adorn lampposts and public spaces. However, as the pandemic is continuing to affect our country, it seems like we’ll be spending the holidays safe and indoors. This means having to get our own parol at home to not miss out on these Christmas beauties – though they are a little pricey at up to P4,000 (~USD82.88) a lantern.
To help us save some money on our parol, Disney uploaded a video on 14th November detailing how we can make our own parol or star lantern at home. This includes gathering materials that can be easily found around the house, such as glue, colored paper, and scissors. And though some materials such as the sticks, dowels, and battery-operated lights might require a trip to the store, you’re sure to save a number of pesos anyway.
Image adapted from: Disney
In their 2-minute tutorial, Disney teaches us how to make a simple parol, step-by-step.
Materials
Directions
1. Tie two of the Pllieay sticks together with a rubber band. Repeat twice with the other sticks.
2. Connect the ends of the sticks with rubber bands to make a star shape.
3. Weave a stick through the upper half of the star to complete the top of the star, then tie with rubber bands.
4. Use the glue gun to secure the intersections of the star frame.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 to create another star, giving you two star frames.
6. Glue the 5 dowels on to the 5 intersections of one star, then glue the other star on top.
7. Tie all the ends together with rubber bands.
8. Use glue to place the colored paper on to the stars, but leave the middle open.
9. Scrunch up small pieces of colored paper and glue them on to the points of the stars as decorations.
10. Add a battery-operated light in the hollow middle to make your parol glow.
Video credit: Disney
Image adapted from: Disney
While many Filipinos praised Disney for showing off a prominent Filipino Christmas tradition, many also observed something missing. Both the caption and video failed to mention that the parol is part of Filipino culture. With the post gaining almost 10,000 likes and over 10,000 shares, some netizens believed that it would have been nice to have some form of acknowledgement that the so-called Christmas star lantern came from the Philippines.
However, some netizens were also just happy and content to see a Filipino tradition being presented on such a big platform. Some even did the educating themselves, leaving comments about the history and origins of the parol for fellow Disney fans to read.
Many of us might be used to preparing for Christmas by shopping at malls and public spaces, but this option isn’t the safest for now. Money is also tight for many, with expenses piling up and extra money going to worthwhile donation drives for calamities.
However, these don’t mean we can’t still enjoy Christmas within our means. Stay in and save up by DIY-ing a few things, maybe starting with your Christmas parol.
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Cover image adapted from: Disney
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