Philippines recognized by CNN because the only Christmas destination in Southeast Asia

San Fernando, a city within the Philippines, is the one destination in Southeast Asia to make CNN’s list of the 15 best places to go to for Christmas.

Located roughly 2-3 hours from Metro Manila, San Fernando is a first-class city and the regional center of Central Luzon and the provincial capital of Pampanga. With a population of roughly 350,000, town is often often known as “The Christmas capital of the Philippines“.

Internationally, San Fernando can be often known as “The Christmas capital of Asia” on the occasion of the Great Lantern Festival. Held yearly from mid-December to early January, the festival features large star-shaped lanterns or paroles.

Parol: The heart of Filipino Christmas

The major attraction is the parol, a colourful electric Christmas lantern that symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem. These paroles resemble psychedelic kaleidoscopes, stained glass windows, prismatic windmills, and even giant snowflakes.

As the most well-liked symbol of Christmas in Filipino culture, the star-shaped parol is nearly all the time seen in every home through the Christmas season. Available in various colours and sizes, these lanterns represent light and hope for the Filipino people, whose origins are closely linked to San Fernando, the birthplace of this ornament.

The San Fernando lighthouses have been around for the reason that early 1900s and have evolved from small projects to magnificent, larger than life creations. These lanterns are displayed during Great Lantern Festivalsome with as much as 5,000 light bulbs that glow in kaleidoscopic patterns synchronized with popular Christmas carols.

The festival attracts hundreds of local and international tourists each Christmas, showcasing the sweetness and uniqueness of the lanterns, which have been featured in quite a few local and international media.

Here’s the total list of CNN Travel’s “15 Best Christmas Destinations”:

1. Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
2. Bogota, Colombia
3. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
4. Bath, England
5. San Fernando, Philippines
6. Barcelona, ​​Spain
7. Nairobi, Kenya
8. Nuremberg, Germany
9. Malta, Malta
10. Quebec City, Canada
11. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
12. Salzburg and Oberndorf in Austria
13. Strasbourg, France
14. Queenstown, New Zealand
15. New York