The Filipino Christmas Star
Maligayang Pasko! That’s how you greet Merry Christmas in Tagalog! But “Merry Christmas” works in the Philippines as well, because when your country is ranked number one in celebrating Christmas, you’ll say the festive greeting in as many languages as possible! Just kidding…“Merry Christmas” works because English is the second language. But I’m not kidding about how serious Filipinos are about celebrating Christmas. Yuletide festivities are celebrated during the “ber” months in the Philippines. So for four months straight, it’s Christmas parades, parties, and music! (And to think…my husband complains when I merely listen to a few Christmas songs before Thanksgiving!) Allow me to reiterate just once more because this glorious truth cannot be overstated: Filipinos (in the majority-Catholic north, anyway) LOVE Christmas!
I have many fun memories of this holiday and they all revolve around three things: food (no surprise there), Filipino Christmas music, and the Filipino Star Lantern, otherwise known as the Parol (not parole, and yes you need to say it with the accent that rolls the r so as not to mistake it for parole).
There are many Christmas motifs which the United States and the Philippines share, like Santa Claus. The red-suited jolly man didn’t come to the Philippines, along with the Christmas tree, until the Americans came at the beginning of the 20th century. As important as these Christmas symbols are to the Filipinos, there is one Christmas symbol that stands out and which makes a Filipino Christmas, the Parol. This five-point star symbolizes the star of Bethlehem that led the shepherds and the wise man to baby Jesus. During Spanish colonial times, parols would be hung at the windows of homes to light the way for mass attendees on their way to midnight mass.
I remember when my dad came home from a trip to the Philippines and he had brought with him this enormous colorful plastic thing. It didn’t look like a star, as modern parols take on more of a star-floral hybrid design. It had lights, it wore the Christmas colors, and most importantly, it had a little music box that played Filipino Christmas music when you plugged it in. It was magical and I took charge to hang it up in our largest window that faced our street every Christmas. While my family was in town for Thanksgiving, we made our own parols. They're not as flashy as the parols you can buy at the store, but they still bring the spirit of the season! Enjoy and stay tuned for more Filipino Christmas traditions!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Popsicle Sticks to build the star frame. I used popsicle sticks that were 4.5 inches long. The final star was roughly 12 inches tall.
Baker’s Twine
Japanese Paper for the star. Japanese paper is a lightweight paper, but stronger than tissue paper. It’s transparent enough to allow light through but tough enough for crafting with. You can buy Japanese paper here.
Crepe Paper to make streamers. I got mine from here.
Glue like Elmer’s Glue or crafting glue.
Hot Glue Gun for building the star frame and gluing the twine and crepe paper streamers.
Scissors or Xacto Knife
Tips:
Remember that this is a five-point star so when building the frame of the star, start off with a pentagon, not a hexagon. I swear I need a review of geometry because I made six stars of David before I realized my mistake!
It helps to mark what’s the front and the back of your star. Trace the outside of each shape with the star frame face down on the paper.
For a stiffer steamer on your parol, cut with the grain of the crepe paper. For a loose and more wavey streamer, cut against the grain.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Filipinos celebrate Christmas you can read more about it here or watch “Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown: Manila” episode on Netflix. I can’t help but get emotional and miss my family watching that episode. Bourdain gets it right on how much family and Christmas means to Filipinos! Maligayang Pasko, my friends!
