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The parol bears a striking resemblance to the Pentacle, a pagan symbol
San Fernando Giant Lantern Festival/Fiesta ng Parol – celebrated the whole month of December in San Fernando, Pampanga. The festival culminates in a judging contest of the best, biggest and most beautiful Christmas lantern made by the local craftsmen in San Fernando.
There is always a fiesta (festival) going on somewhere in the Philippines as every city and barrio holds at least one each year. The fiesta is usually to honor the local Roman Catholic patron saint and pay homage to the barrio’s namesake for good harvest and health. It is a mixture of both pagan and Catholic beliefs. These fiestas are marked by feasting and celebration of holy mass, music, dance and song.
Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the Philippines. Filipinos take pride in having the longest Christmas celebration in the world … as soon as the month ending with “ber” rolls around, preparations for Christmas begins. September signals the start of the Christmas season and you begin to hear Christmas carols everywhere and Christmas lanterns of all shapes and sizes light up the streets of Metro Manila. Filipinos buy star-shaped lanterns called “parol” (pronounced pah-role) to hang outside their homes. The “parol” represents the Star of Bethlehem that led the three Wise Men to the infant Jesus more than two thousand years ago.
The PENTACLE
Other names:
Five-pointed star. Star of the Microcosm. Witch’s Foot. The Morning Star. The Evening Star. Endless knot.
History:
Pentacle - a pagan symbol
The five-pointed star is the result of astrological research done over 6,000 years ago resulting in no connection whatsoever to Satanism or Christianity. Pythagoras utilized the Pentacle to represent the human being with the points of the star representing the head, arms and legs, adding the circle unifies and creates Spirit. On a side note, the Pentacle or Pentagram represents phi: 1.618, the perfect number. This number symbolizes perfection in all things that exist on this plane, for one instance, the human face, broken down in shape has the basic core and structure of a Pentagram. How’s that for perfection?
The Elements:
The Pentacle represents the five elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit.
Magical Uses:
As a protective device: Wear a pentacle around your neck to protect yourself.
Ritual Use:
A Pentacle is synonymous with Wiccan Rituals. It represents Spirit and Protection. A Pentacle is one of the most important devices in your Ritual Circle and can be simply represented by drawing a Pentacle in the air above your working space, in the dirt if working outside, or on a piece of paper to be discarded later.
sources:
www.goldentreewands.com – Wiccan Symbols
www.vtaide.com – Philippine Celebrations.
www.philsite.net – Philippine Fiesta
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