JAPANESE
    
Annual Christmas Lantern Campaign
  
 
and Alternative Income Generating Project for Mothers of Japanese-Filipino Children
  
 
2005 Parol Campaign Activities
 
                     
   
MAKE AND OWN YOUR OWN PAROL THIS CHRISTMAS!
JOIN PAROL MAKING WORKSHOP
Monday to Friday
Starting November 1 – December 4, 2005
From 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at CJFF office
Room 32, Japan Christian Center
2-3-18 Nishi Waseda, Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo 169-0051 Please contact: 09057638320 (mobile phone)
03 3209 2439 (phone/fax)
Email: cjff@zau.att.ne.jp
 

The Philippine Christmas Lantern Campaign in Japan

 

The word parol (pronounced with a rolling “r”) comes from the Spanish word for lantern, farol. According to World Book’s Christmas in the Philippines, the roots of the parol can be found in the Mexican pinata (or pronounced as pinyata). The pinata came to Spain from Italy in the 1300’s, spread to Mexico and finally came to the Philippines when the Spaniards brought Christianity to the islands.

Making parol is a folk craft. Most Filipino kids have tried their hand at making a parol at one time or another. The most basic parol can be easily constructed with just some bamboo sticks, paper, and glue.

There is no greater symbol of the Filipino Christmas spirit than the parol. All through the Christmas season, the star-shaped lantern can be found hanging outside homes and along the streets of cities and small provincial towns. For Filipino, hanging a parol is an expression of shared faith and hope. (Source: http://sim.soe.umich.edu/parol/)
VISIT THE PAROL DISPLAY AT JAPAN CHRISTIAN CENTER LOBBY
Parol and the Japanese-Filipino Families
     

BE A PEACE MAKER

In the Philippines the parol that symbolizes the coming of Christmas is also a welcome sign for the home coming of family members for the celebration. Parol will always serve a reminder for every Filipinos especially those abroad to cherish the good family relations. Today most of the Filipino women in Japanese-Filipino family have the idea to raise her family with the same Philippine family value. That idea is something similar to the Japanese family values sixty years ago that holds the family as the basic unit of society.

SUPPORT THE

PRINCE OF PEACE PAROL 9 CAMPAIGN
4 peacemaker click here
     
SHOW YOU CARE TO FILIPINO SINGLE MOTHERS
Even just once every year we have to be reminded of good family values and among Filipinos, this happens every Christmas season. We have to make this tradition to continue. The members of the Japanese-Filipino families, especially the mothers of Japanese-Filipino Children (JFC), are facing the challenge to carry out the mission in maintaining and promoting the good family values. Christmas is the best time and parol is a symbol that helps to strike out in reminding everyone about the good family value and the spirit of Christmas. Thus, since 2001 the Center for Japanese-Filipino Families (CJFF) together with Filipino migrant organizations initiated the annual Christmas Lantern Campaign.
PUT IN YOUR HOME CJFF HANDCRAFTED PAROL THIS CHRISTMAS
SAMPLE PICTURE AND ORDER INFORMATION CLICK HERE
The Lantern Campaign Objectives

The lantern campaign is to encourage people of Japan to hang and display the traditional Filipino Christmas lantern during Yuletide season in their home or other places as symbol of support and welcoming the Japanese-Filipino families and other foreign migrants. It aims to educate and to raise the awareness and the consciousness of the Filipino community in Japan and the public on family values with parol as focus of interest.
The Lantern Campaign is also aims to help members of Japanese-Filipino families by organizing and linking themselves together into common goal, cooperation and understanding. At the same time the Lantern Campaign will be an income generating project to all participating members of Japanese-Filipino families especially single mothers who are in dire need of additional source of income by constructing (naishouku arrangement and materials will be provided) and by selling parol.