ASLAG PARUL AS A SIGNATURE COLLEGE FESTIVAL OF THE CITY COLLEGE OF ANGELES: PROMOTING LOCAL CULTURE AND EXCELLENCE IN EVENTS MANAGEMENT

Abstract

One of the global trends is putting emphasis and importance to cultural heritage as an essential element of society. In the City of Angeles in the Philippines, a century-old tradition of lantern making has made a mark in the community’s cultural image. The industry of lantern making in the city is highly associated with the Christmas season and the annual Lubenas ning Pasku, a nine-night religious procession of the Catholic in reverence for the birth of Jesus. As a community college, City College of Angeles (CCA) conceptualized a school-based festival to promote and preserve the lantern making tradition of the city. Aslag Parul Festival primarily aims to make students aware and knowledgeable on the lantern making tradition of the community and later make them guardians and transmitters of the culture. This paper aims to present the process of conceptualization, preparations, activities, outputs, challenges, and lessons learned during the premiere of the Aslag Parul Festival. It also aims to present the individual and collective contributions of the stakeholders in producing the said event. This qualitative research utilized several data collection strategies such as interviews, literature and document reviews, observation, and photo and video documentation of the festival. After the pertinent data have been collected, the research shows that 1) all people in charge of all aspects of the event played significant roles and worked efficiently in teams, 2) the festival was composed of two parts – a) workshops on lantern making and festival dance and b) the festival competition, 3) financial constraints can be addressed by looking and partnering with benefactors, and 4) through collective works, the school community can produce a rich and festive event. It also revealed that the festival as a cultural and extra-curricular event reflects a number of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In conclusion, this research affirms that education is one of the most influential social institutions for cultural promotion and transmission. Hence, cultural activities can be innovatively promoted and transmitted through events management.

 

Keywords: local culture, school-based event management, cultural promotion