Parol DIY & Wintering

Hi, it’s Victoria-Riza. Let’s make a Parol and talk about wintering. 

I read Katherine May’s book, “Wintering the Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times,” when I felt this tropical girlie needed to finally adapt to the cold, but I was also in search of how to move through personal struggles.

I loved learning of Gaelic mythologies, winter solstice celebrations, and how nature responded to the cold in connection to embracing our personal winters. But I came from a people who didn’t experience the cold. How do Filipinos winter? So I called my inay (mother) and asked how she wintered during this time of year?

The Philippines has two seasons, wet and dry. Christmas falls during the dry season, and although there are no struggles with long, dark, cold days, this season can highlight one’s poverty.

Inay grew up very poor. She had many days of famine, but during  this season Inay ate well thanks to kind neighbors. She also kept her spirits up by crafting. Through her resourcefulness, she collected the foil linings of cigarette boxes and cut them into snowflakes. She also reused materials to make her very own parol.

With Katherine May’s wintering wisdom in mind, I now embrace the winter season and my personal winters by participating in inay’s act of creativity and nurturing.

Here’s to wintering well this season and Happy Winter Solstice!

See the Reel on how to make a parol here and when I messed it up here.