FILIPINO-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
The Parol Lantern Festival in San Francisco was initiated by the Filipino American Development Foundation (FADF) in 2003 for the soft opening of the Bayanihan Community Center. A series of parol-making workshops were held to introduce and promote the Filipino virtue of Bayanihan (i.e., community working together for a cause or project).
The Festival got its inspiration from the world-renowned San Fernando’s Ligligan Parul Giant Lantern Festival in the Philippines. MC Canlas, SoMa Pilipinas historian and the founding director of the Festival is an immigrant from San Fernando, Pampanga.
“If the parol evokes nostalgia and longing for the Philippines, the annual parol festival in San Francisco establishes our belonging to our new home, SoMa Pilipinas. Belongingness is the human emotional need to be accepted in a group, nation, or society. The parol is an emblem of longing and belonging.”
Parol in SOMA Pilipinas
SOMA Pilipinas’ taking the lead in the parol festival is an organic progression. SoMa Pilipinas is coordinating the 21st Anniversary celebration in collaboration and partnership of various organizations, among them are Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), Yerba Buena Festival, Filipino American Development Foundation (FADF), Kularts, SOMCAN, Kultivate Lab, Filipino Cultural Center and Galing Bata.
The selection of SoMa Pilipinas as a Filipino Cultural Heritage District is attributed to the cultural assets, traditions, and community rituals, being kept alive in the district, and among these is the annual parol lantern festival. In April 2016 the City and County of San Francisco adopted SoMa Pilipinas as a Filipino Cultural Heritage District, and in July 2017, the California Arts Council selected SoMa Pilipinas as one the 14 designated cultural districts of the State.