UP Lantern Parade 2010 showcases creativity of students

Christmas 2010, UP Main Building

The University of the Philippines (UP) held today the UP Lantern Parade 2010, which was participated in by the state university’s different colleges, units and organizations.

All UP Lantern Parades are not just about lanterns: they’re also about highlighting the creativity of students while at the same time, making statements about issues that need to be addressed.

For example, the College of Mass Communication called for an end to the killing of journalists.

Last year, the international media group Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that the so-called “Maguindanao Massacre” in southern Philippines “appears to be (the) single deadliest event for the press since 1992, when CPJ began keeping detailed records on journalist deaths.”

Fine Arts

The presentation of the College of Fine Arts was the finale because it’s considered a “hall of famer” in terms of creativity.

This year it featured sea-inspired works.

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Festive

A lot of people trooped to the university to witness the annual event.

The mood was definitely festive during the UP Lantern Parade 2010.

The 2nd Annual German Christmas Market or Weihnachtsmarkt in the Philippines

It’s not only in Germany where you can experience the Weihnachtsmarkt or the German Christmas Market.

This afternoon I went to the Ateneo de Manila University, venue of the 2^nd Annual German Christmas Market in the Philippines.

The first one was held at a time last year when I was in Germany itself. In short, I wasn’t able to see the first Weihnachtsmarkt in Manila. (Click here for my post about the German Christmas Market in Germany)

Differences

Of course there are differences between the German Christmas Market in Germany and in the Philippines.

The temperature is the most obvious one. There was no snow in Germany during my stay there, but the temperature then was not in any way tropical.

Also, the German Christmas Market in the Philippines was open for only one day. In Germany, the markets are open for weeks.

There are markets all over Germany. In the Philippines, there’s only one venue.

Festive

True, there are differences between the German Christmas Market in Germany and in the Philippines.

But they are insignificant.

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What really matters is that both Germans and Filipinos celebrate Christmas with gusto. And they will celebrate it no matter where they are.

The German Christmas Market or Weihnachtsmarkt is one festive proof of that.

Mabuhay Germany scenes: Germany in the Philippines

This afternoon I went to Bonifacio High Street in Taguig City in Metro Manila to check out the third German Exposition hosted by the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The event’s theme was “Discover Germany! Explore and Experience Diversity.”

It resembled a Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) in Germany, but of course it wasn’t about Christmas.

It was about all things German.

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That visit was like a trip to a tropical Germany.

Catching a glimpse of Parisian Christmas

I never imagined Paris as a place where Christmas is a big deal.

I don’t know exactly how I formed that picture in my head, but whenever I heard, read or saw the name Paris in the media, one thing immediately came to mind – the Eiffel Tower.

I can’t blame myself for having that kind of perception though. After all, Hollywood films almost always, if not always, showed the Eiffel Tower whenever Paris was the place of the action.

But after spending a night in Paris last month, I realized it was not just all about the Eiffel Tower or beauty or lights or whatever.

It seemed the people of Paris also like Christmas.

When I was there, I saw signs of Christmas almost everywhere: Christmas lights, Christmas trees, a little drummer boy and a gigantic Ferris wheel.

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The Parisians, at least based on my one-night stay there, love to celebrate Christmas.

I believe people who like Christmas couldn’t possibly be rude.

Where the heck did I get the idea that Parisians are rude? The media (again!), I suppose. But are they really rude? That’s another topic for a new blog post.

Christmas Market shows similarities between German and Philippine Christmases

Beethoven Statue in Bonn amid Christmas decorations

The first ever German Christmas Market in the Philippines was held on December 4, the Goethe-Institut in Manila has announced on its website.

I missed it because that was the last day of the online journalism workshop that I attended in Germany.

But fortunately, when I was in Germany, I personally saw what a Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) was all about.

Something in common

The Goethe-Institut in Manila said both Germany and the Philippines “share the same kind of fondness for Christmas.”

“Filipino and German cultures surprisingly find the perfect meeting point during the season of Christmas.”

- Goethe-Institut in Manila

After seeing a Christmas Market in Bonn, I can say that Germans, like Filipinos, are really fond of Christmas.

I saw the actual preparations for the opening of the market, and the mood then was festive.

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The opening of the Weihnachtsmarkt on November 20 made me feel that Christmas was just around the corner.

I also saw signs indicating that in Germany, Christmas is for kids. Just like in the Philippines.

The Goethe-Institut in Manila summed it up perfectly in one sentence: “While not immediately obvious, Filipino and German cultures surprisingly find the perfect meeting point during the season of Christmas.”