Parol lighting ceremony at the Philippines Embassy Bangkok

BANGKOK, November 30 (NA) - The Philippine Embassy to Thailand hosted the year-end "Parol lighting ceremony" at the embassy’s ground in Bangkok on Thursday evening to mark the beginning of the annual holiday season. Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Jocelyn Batoon-Garcia presided over the lighting of some 80 “Parols”, which are star-shaped Christmas lanterns signifying the Star of Bethlehem. According to the Christian tradition, the Star of Bethlehem represents the birth of Jesus Christ. Apart from its religious significance, Ambassador Batoon-Garcia told TNA that the “Parol” has become an iconic symbol of Christmas holiday festivities for Filipinos throughout the world. Christianity is a major religion in the Philippines, where most the population, or some 80 per cent of them, belong to the Roman Catholic Church. (TNA)