Litratong Pilipino: Palengke

The title literally means Philippine Photo/s: (the) Marketplace

Since the holidays are coming up, I'm taking the opportunity to showcase some of the products that are very much part of the Philippine tradition: the Christmas parols or Christmas lanterns. These are usually made of bamboo, crepe paper, and a candle inside (I don't know how it's done without burning the lantern). More sophisticated ones are made of shells from Capiz, a region in the Philippines known for its mother-of-pearl shells.

Parol comes from the Spanish word farol, which means lantern. Our intricate tradition owes much of its roots to 400 years of Spanish influence. Seldom will you see a Filipino household without at least one hanging parol by the window at Christmastime. It symbolizes the star that led the Three Wise Men to the manger where Jesus was born.

This is an example of Capiz-shell-made Christmas parol, for export. You bet it is expensive. But go to the Philippines and even kids will make you export-quality ones! LOL!

The guitar shows the Philippine flag. That's all for now, folks. Hope you enjoyed this one!

(photo source: hubpages.com)

Litratong Pilipino: Karatula Blues

(rough translation: pay before undressing - a sign by the poolside)
(eh???)
(uling, please, ULING - meaning charcoal)
(er, you get it, right?)


These were emailed to me by a friend a while back, which I thought to save for future 'use.' Well, here they are! (With all due respect.)

But, puh-leeesee forgive me for laughing myself off of my chair. Hahahahahaha!!!!


This is a first post for me for Litratong Pilipino (Philippine Photo/s), another meme. It is late, but I hope you still enjoy this post! Karatula, which was the theme I chose to join, means signboard.