The City of San Jose Del Monte (CSJDM) made it to the Guinness Book of World Records, for the World’s Largest Lantern Parade with over 12,000 residents joining together for the record-breaking feat.
Over 12,500 lanterns illuminated Quirino Highway in the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan as part of the Tanglawan Festival, successfully claiming the Guiness record for the world’s longest lantern parade.
The new record number of participants, which comprised of students from various schools and communities in the city, exceeded the previous record holder, Singapore, who had a total of 10,568 participants.
The city is expected to receive an authorized certificate from the members of the Guinness Book of World Records to commemorate their achievement and to cement their place as record holders in the coming weeks.
The local government of San Jose Del Monte, whom arranged the Festival and its activities credited the success of the world record attempt to the effforts of its constituents.
According to Congresswoman Florida Robes, the Lantern Parade was inspired by a story about a lumberjack who got lost in San Jose Del Monte long ago, and found his way back when he saw a lantern lighting up a statue of San Jose their patron saint. The lanterns she added, is also a symbol of hope for the growing number of residents now residing in the city, most of whom were originally from Metro Manila and were forced to relocate to the city.
Last year, CSJDM launched the Tanglawan Festival. The festival’s name, which is derived from the root word “ilaw” or light, celebrates the genuine cheerfulness of the residents as they work together towards becoming a “Sustainable City”. Now on its second year, me message is no different, but it wil be delivered with more festive and meaningful activities throughout the eight-day festival. The festivities start off on September 3, 2017 with a Mass in honor of the Lady of Lourdes, a famous religious icon in the city.
“The success of this event is victory for all San Joseño’s,” Said Congresswoman Florida “Rida” Robes.
“That together, we can achieve anything that we put our mind to,” she added
“This accomplishment as a stepping stone for our community to realize our vision of San Jose Del Monte as a Sustainable City. While our city may have had a dark reputation and history, we believe the light of each citizen can change that,” she concluded.
For more information on San Jose Del Monte and their projects please visit http://csjdm.gov.ph/
At the mention of “sustainability”, environmental awareness and conservation comes to mind. While these concepts are well and good, the City of San Jose Del Monte (CSJDM) believes that another ingredient is needed to achieve complete sustainability: a sense of community fostered through cooperation. In between, there will be various activites like livelihood workshops, performances, cooking demos, and many others.
“Through the Tanglawan Festival’s activities we hope to enrich the lives of our citys residents and to foster a culture of cooperation,” said Hon. Florida “Rida” P. Robes, District Representative of CSJDM. “It’s also an opportunity for us to get together and show that San Joseiio’s can do great things, like become a sustainable and cheerful city, if we do it together,” she added.
The Tanglawan Festival will be held in many different venues in the city on September 3, 2017 unitl September 10, 2017. More information on the Tanglawan Festival and its activities are available on the CSJDM Official Website (http://csjdm.gov.ph)
