UP Lantern Parade: Its social and political landscape
I have celebrated my birthday week inside the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus several times, in most instances coinciding with the traditional Lantern Parade.
The parade traverses the UP Academic oval canopied by over a hundred years old sturdy acacia trees that are silent witnesses to the travails of the Diliman denizens.
UP normally celebrates the most festive of season the best way we can imagine, with the lantern parades held in all UP constituent campuses, with administrative offices, academic units, organizations, and community groups getting creative on their lanterns and presentations.
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The Lantern Parade started in 1922, inspired by the folk practice of carrying lanterns of various shapes and sizes to light the way to the early morning December Masses or misa de gallo during the Spanish period.
Lanterns are basically a light source (candle, wick in a fuel or mantle) enclosed in a container that protects the flame so the wind would not put it out but light can pass through. It can be made from variety of materials from non-flammable to flammable.
The lantern parade was institutionalized in 1934 by UP President Jorge C. Bocobo “so that students can have a frolicsome activity before the year ends.”
The Christmas event transformed into a venue for protest with an activist motif in 1969 just before Martial Law and went on hiatus from 1970 until 1976. During its comeback in 1977, participants carried torches while parading around the Academic Oval, unmoved by the ominous atmosphere of Martial Law.
“From its beginnings as a simple homage to an old Christmas tradition to the elegant, colorful, sometimes controversial creations that strut (or sometimes sputter) around the UPD academic oval each Yuletide, the Lantern Parade has evolved into an event that reflects both the people and milieu of its time, depicting the changing social and political landscape of the University and indeed, the country,” according to the UP website.
I remember my first lantern parade in 1987 lasted for six to eight hours during my freshman year when six wheeler trucks were still allowed.
The entries were judged according to compliance with the theme, materials used, presentation and visual effects, and eco-friendliness. There are two sets of winners: the first set from among the entries of participating colleges and offices and the second set from hall-of-famer the College of Fine Arts.
The floats and contingents interpreted the theme in various ways and carried messages about campus freedom, press freedom, climate change and environmental disaster, human rights violations, among many other issues.
A total of 26 lantern installations participated in this year’s parade last December 18, 2024 that carried the theme, “Nilay at Sikhay” (Reflection and Resiliency).
The UP College of Law’s lantern won among the academic units, followed by the College of Engineering, the Asian Center, the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Architecture.
The College of Law’s lantern features Lady Justice, whose hands are chained. Behind her is a sun containing the words highlighting urgent issues faced by Filipinos: the West Philippine Sea dispute, corruption, extrajudicial killings, political dynasties, and the education crisis,
With scales, a sword and sometimes a blindfold as her attributes, Lady Justice originates from the personification of Justice in Ancient Roman art known as Iustitia or Justitia, who is equivalent to the Greek goddess Thémis.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration issued its decision on July 12, 2016 in favor of the Philippines on most of its submissions on the West Philippine Sea dispute.
The decision declared that China’s historic rights claims over maritime areas inside the “nine-dash line” have no lawful effect as they exceed what they are entitled to under UNCLOS. There was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources in areas falling within the “nine-dash line.”
The decision likewise noted that China violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by construction of artificial islands at seven features in the Spratly Islands, interfering with Philippine fishing and hydrocarbon exploration, and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the Philippines’ EEZ.
The Lantern Parade reflects UP’s role as a sanctuary of advocates of civil rights and academic freedom, especially in times of uncertainty and social turmoil.
The parade sparks meaningful conversations, serving as a symbol of creativity, inclusivity, and social awareness.
The lantern parade is a reminder that UP molded us to fight for the causes we believe in, trained us for the skills we need to communicate ideas and rally others to effect changes in society.
(Peyups is the moniker of University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail [email protected], or call 0908-8665786.)
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