Christmas (Pasko) lights, decorations, and scenes in Cebu City, Philippines

I apologize for being lazy and not posting anything to this blog for quite some time.  I thought that a good way to follow up to my last post, which was about whale shark watching in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines near Christmastime, was to post some pictures from that same trip - a vignette of sorts - to illustrate what various Christmas decorations/lights look like in the Philippines as well as some typical scenes at Christmastime.   I'll kick off a series of posts with some scenes from Cebu City, and then in the next posts I'll show some small-city and "provincial" (rural) scenes.  For many people who read this post in the United States, Europe, Canada, etc., their impressions of December and Christmastime are those of cold temperatures, often gloomy days with short daylight hours, and often some snow in the air or on the ground... obviously things are quite different in the Philippines!

There are other differences, too, and I find many of the designs of the Christmas (Pasko) lights and decorations to be very charming and distinctly Filipino.  For instance, in addition to the parols (originally a simple paper and bamboo lantern, but often now a nicely crafted brass and multi-colored capiz shell lantern with elaborately timed electric lights), there are many unique Christmas decorations, including such things as an interesting "Santa Claus suspended from a parachute" made from fiberglass.  The following photos are from our December, 2014 trip to the Philippines, and were taken mainly by my wife and our daughter (11 years old at the time).  So, without further ado, here's a look...

These are some nice residential Pasko lights and parols that we found in Cebu City on foot while strolling around after dark:

Nice light display - and it must've taken some effort to get those up into the mango tree!

Some nice parols and Pasko lights

Too bad the brightness of these parols kind of overwhelmed the colors in this photo!

These are on the cooler end of the color spectrum...

Here's a cute circular parol over someone's carport gate

This photo, and the one below it, is of a huge parol that we thought was really impressive.

Many such parols contain multiple lightbulbs and electronic computer chips that control an elaborate pattern of light display, and even music!  

Another nice parol/lights

Parols hanging up in the carport

Lights on the trees in the boulevard in the middle of the street

This photo and the one below it is of the house that has the lights in the mango tree

This simple star-shaped parol, although made of capiz shells and with electric light(s) inside, represents the simplest essence of the old-school parols from the 1800's and before, which were made of bamboo and paper and were lit by a flame to light the way of worshippers to Mass

Now, let's take a day-time trip to the mall (SM City in Cebu, in this case) to do some Christmas shopping.  On the trip to the mall, the traffic can be quite heavy at this time of the year.  Along the way, you're almost guaranteed to encounter sights that you'd never see in December in the frigid northern latitudes of the USA, Europe, Canada, Japan, Korea, etc.,  such as...

A toddler getting a bath in a plastic tub, on the sidewalk!

A vendor selling pomelos (AKA in Cebuano as buongon, and in Tagalog as lukban or suha -- somewhat similar to grapefruit but sweeter) in the street.

The ubiquitous jeepney - the originals of which were crafted post-war from WWII US Army jeeps

...some of which are elaborately decorated

...and another Jeepney, this one emblazoned with a Star of David.

And on the way to the mall, you just might happen to pass a guy driving a pedicab with a load of "puso" (hanging rice), which is a diamond-shaped lump of cooked rice with banana leaves woven around it. 

Arriving at the mall (SM City in Cebu City, in this case), you might find nifty lights to indicate vacant or full parking spots, and an elevator attendant to take you from the parking lot deck to your desired floor... the latter of which I think is a very clever innovation that we in the US should implement in our parking garages!

SM City Cebu with neat Christmas lights on trees.  Can barely see our daughter in the center, with her Auntie and cousin.

Parking space occupied/vacant lights

Elevator attendant, who is constantly being watched by a large woman with lots of jewelry.

Finally, inside the mall, you'll find some beautiful displays, including a huge Christmas tree made of balls of different colors, and some "Winter Wonderland" dioramas in stark opposition to the balmy tropical weather outside:

Our daughter with the huge ball ornament Christmas tree in SM City, Cebu

A panoramic balcony view of the beautiful Christmas decorations and tree in the SM City Mall, Cebu.  Note the snowy "Winter Wonderland" dioramas below.

So that's a small snapshot of some of the Christmas decorations you might see in a large city in the Philippines, in this case Cebu City.  Next time I'll cover the same from the small town perspective.    :-)

My wife's home town in Mindanao - a rooftop perspective

Three of my favorite perspectives of life in the Philippines are those perhaps often overlooked by the foreigner or tourist.  One of these views is that from the  street level as a passenger or driver of a pedicab.  Another is that from the water level from a simple bangka boat (outrigger canoe... I'll post photos from that later) either off-shore or going up a small tidal river in the provinces.   A third perspective that I've always enjoyed, particularly in the provincial towns, is that of the rooftop or water tower, often approached by concrete stairs and then finally a steel set of stairs similar to a fire escape.   The views and perspective up there are often unequalled.   The nostalgia-evoking smells of coconut husk charcoal from people cooking and fresh saltwater breezes coming up from the ocean are really nice, as is the effect of the cooling breeze gained from the higher elevation.   One of my favorite things is getting a great view of the varied tropical fruits growing on trees, depending on the season, with the ever-present coconut trees swaying gently in the ocean breezes. The activities of the people down below on the street are still very evident and noticeable, but the noises are a bit muted from the height of perhaps 20 meters, and in many ways one becomes a silent observer. I'm not a voyeur, but there is a certain anonymity and ease of observation while watching the day-to-day activities and the beating pulse of a relatively quiet provincial town (in comparison to Manila or Cebu) in a market below.  

I've posted a few photos from a rooftop in my wife's home town in Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental, Mindanao, just to highlight this birds-eye perspective, although of course I cannot convey the senses other than sight.  Interesting and beautiful views of the mountains and the Holy Rosary Church, I believe built in the 1880's.  Four photos can never do justice to the views from the rooftop water tower perch, but hopefully readers of this blog will enjoy these.