Bacolod bursting
at the seams

BacoLaodiat, the celebration of the Chinese New Year, saw Bacolod bursting at the seams with thousands of Batang Pinoy participants joining the hundreds of visitors from other parts of the country celebrating the Chinese New Year.

The 9 th BacoLaodiat Festival opened in Bacolod Thursday with a bang.

The predominant color of Bacolod was red starting with the thousand lanterns along North Capitol Road leading up to Lacson Street.

The three-day BacoLaodiat festivities included the grandiose Buddhist-based display of lanterns which were lighted last night along North Capitol Road.

Thousands of lanterns had been hanged two weeks before the BacoLaodiat Festival which tells Bacolod the beautiful story behind the display.

The shape of the traditional Chinese red lanterns signifies completion of the harmony which entails hard work.

As explained by a Buddhist monk, the thousand lanterns along North Capitol Road to Lacson is a celebratory display of this “Great Harmony.” In short, there is harmony with oneself, harmony with the family, harmony with others, and harmony with society and harmony with God.

Filipinos apparently practice the same celebration with the 13 round fruits served during the December 31 media noche. It reportedly assures a prosperous new year.

“Kiong Hee Kuat Tsai,” have a blessed and prosperous life is the usual greeting now even among Pinoys.

It was actually Yellow Emperor Shin Huang Ti who gathered scholars to solve the problem besetting the timing of the four seasons.

Ancient Chinese farmers planted crops in winter thus harvesting nothing and rendering their work useless.

That meeting with scholars enabled Emperor Shin Huang Ti to save the ancient Chinese Imperial economy from collapse.

In short, the great harmony achieved through wisdom and hard work is the essence of thousands of lanterns up along North Capitol Road up to Lacson Street.*

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