The Christmas Lanterns (Parol) Made by the Inmates of Misamis Oriental Provincial Jail

The Holiday Season is the merriest of the year, and people adorn their homes with traditional decorations which remain up to the first week of January, the following year. In the Philippines people adorn their homes with a replica of manger in Bethlehem where the Infant Jesus was born, the Christmas tree and the parol or the Philippine Christmas lantern among others. The parol is an indigenous Christmas decoration that usually adorns the Filipino homes especially in the rural area.

In Cagayan de Oro where the Misamis Oriental Provincial Jail is located inmates of the jail make lanterns in preparation for the Christmas season. September starts the beginning of the month when they make use of their craft in Christmas lantern making. Finished lanterns are displayed at the gate for people to see and buy them if they are interested to bring them home. Jail authorities allowed the activity in a strict security condition so that there is no untoward incident that may happen as a result of the giving of privilege to prisoners. The price of the lantern is as low as 50 pesos (about 1.15 US dollars) for the smallest and the simplest, and as high as 3,000 pesos (about 69.14 US dollars) for the biggest with the most sophisticated design.

The Christmas lanterns made by the inmates in the provincial jail are diverse in sizes, shapes and colors. A lantern is commonly star shaped although there are shaped as boxes, bells and others depending on the ingenuity of the makers. Most lanterns which are star shaped are five-pointed star although there are others that are four-pointed stars. The star shape is inspired with the bright star that guided the three magi from the east during their search for the Infant Jesus. A parol is called a lantern although many are designed and made without light in it. Most of the lanterns are not designed to be carried outdoors, but rather they are used to adorn the exterior of the house. Most lighting is traditional Christmas lights that are put on the body of the lantern. The lantern's framework is made of thin bamboo strips which are joined and bound with string. Some designs have ring around the stars and tails at the bottom while others have none. The framework is covered with crepe paper that is attached by pasting it on the bamboo strip. Other types of decorative papers are also used. The allure of the finished product depends on the design of the lantern and the paper cutting skill of the maker. Elaborate cutting designs on the body of the star, the ring and the tail can make a lantern stand out against other lanterns,

Some of the prisoners who have been in jail for long have already mastered their craft to make lanterns. Their products are sold in Cagayan de Oro, and the neighboring areas of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon. The Christmas Season is the time when they could earn a little income for themselves and their family. Their earnings help them buy soaps, t-shirts and other things they need in jail.

By making lanterns, the inmates of Misamis Oriental Provincial Jail have offered the people of the nearby places a beautiful piece of a truly Filipino Christmas decoration during the Holiday Season.