Filipino communities from the surrounding area gathered in Long Beach for the city’s 4th Annual Parol Lantern Festival on Saturday, Dec. 18.
“Everyone, all my pinoy, pinay brothers and sisters, thank you for being here,” said Melissa Ramoso, Artesia’s first Filipina mayor. “Thank you for your support of this event and may you have a very, very merry Christmas and happy New Year.”
At the event in downtown Long Beach, a pavilion was covered in balloons with colorful paper parols hanging from the top.
According to Filipino-owned Flipp Family, a sponsor for the festival, the word “parol” comes from the Spanish word “farol,” which means lantern.
According to the book Critical Filipinx American Histories And Their Artifacts by Thomas Macale Abalahin and Leslie Paulino, Filipino parols represent the star of Bethlehem which guided the Three Wise Men to Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the Bible.
According to Flipp Family, parols are traditionally made from capiz shells, but can also be made using colored paper and bamboo sticks.
“This is an opportunity, especially for the young Fil-Ams [Filipino Americans] to understand […] culture even more,” said Jim Dear, the former mayor of Carson. “As a school teacher and an elected official, I know that it’s really important for young people to understand their heritage, their history of culture. And being part of American culture today, knowing your ancestors and accomplishments and the history is really important.”
The event also featured Filipino food vendors, as well as musical and dance performances.
According to 2020 US census data, there are an estimated 14,383 Filipinos living in Long Beach.
“This is a beautiful event,” said Arleen Bocatija Rojas, a Carson council member. “It’s nice to see everybody coming out and enjoying each other, spending time with each other and enjoying the entertainment. So this is great, and we’re doing it safely and hopefully we can do this again more often.”
