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Christmas parols light up New York City's Fifth Avenue

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Don Tagala | TFC News New York

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RvXSJfj2XWc?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Christmas is in full swing along New York City&#x27;s Fifth Avenue, and the Philippine Consulate in New York stepped up its holiday window display with two giant Pampanga-made lanterns to light up the street.One eight-foot parol has nearly a thousand light bulbs while a six-foot parol contains more than 500 dancing light bulbs.&quot;Itong parol sa Pilipinas, sa Pampanga lang talaga ginagawa ito. Tayo lang ang mayroon,&quot; Lubao, Pampanga Mayor Esmeralda Pineda said. &quot;Kaya nakaka proud po for the first time dito makapag-light tayo ng parol sa NYC.&quot;(These parols from the Philippines are only made in Pampanga. We are the only ones that have these. So it makes me proud to be able to light up the parols in NYC for the first time.)Philippine Consul General Elmer Cato said the installation of the parols aims to bring holiday cheer to the city with a Filipino touch. &quot;It has always been my dream to have our giant lanterns from Pampanga put on display at the Philippine Center. I was so sure New Yorkers would really appreciate the colorful display of our giant lanterns,&quot; Cato noted.New York Assemblyman Steven Raga also lauded the display. He said, &quot;this is a great initiative. It&#x27;s a source of pride for Filipino Americans in New York but also it expresses how we shine a light into the rest of the greater New York community.&quot;Raga hopes to bring the same spectacle to his constituents in Queens, New York.&quot;No promises, but yes, if we could do something like this in Little Manila, Woodside, I’ll be happy to help sponsor that.&quot;The lighting ceremony was followed by a Christmas serenade led by the Filipino American community. The parols will sparkle on Fifth Avenue from sundown until midnight throughout the holiday season.

Christmas is in full swing along New York City's Fifth Avenue, and the Philippine Consulate in New York stepped up its holiday window display with two giant Pampanga-made lanterns.