Christmas time in UP Diliman (UPD) officially began last Dec. 6 with Pag-iilaw, the annual ceremonial lighting of the major holiday decorations on campus, with this year’s vinta-inspired decorations heralding a month-long series of festivities.

The front of the Oblation Plaza was abuzz with activity as a crowd composed of faculty, staff, students, and other members of the UPD community gathered to witness the event.

In his message, UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II said events like the Pag-iilaw are good opportunities to show that art is a powerful force that brings people together and breathes life into the UPD community.

“Tonight is a testament to that vision. Gathered here under the glow of the Pag-iilaw, we celebrate UPD as a melting pot of creativity, culture, and diversity,” he said.

The vinta-inspired decorations at the Oblation Plaza and all around the Academic Oval were designed by UPD College of Fine Arts alumnus Kublai Millan and implemented by the Office of the Campus Architect and the Campus Maintenance Office for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA).

His design for an interactive art installation, entitled Lawig Pailaw sa Kalinaw, emerged as the winner of the very first Oblation Plaza Site Design competition, launched by the OVCCA earlier in June.

According to Millan, the boat lanterns installed on the lampposts all around the Academic Oval are part of a fleet “that at night glow like peace against darkness.”

“The fleet is headed by a flagship moored behind The Oblation, which is reimagined as inviting all of us to take part in overcoming the seas that divide us, celebrating the diverse contours of our shores, and sailing together towards shared horizons,” he said.

In a Facebook post, Millan thanked the Pag-iilaw organizers led by the OVCCA for the opportunity to do an art installation for the University.

“It’s my great honor to be invited to set up this year’s Pag-iilaw at UPD’s iconic Oblation monument. Just after I got to return to my city of birth, I now get to come home to my beloved alma mater. And just like in Cotabato, I bring with me before Quezon Hall the same message of achieving peace in a shared destiny by coming together as a community. I see my art already sailing all over the campus as I drop by to give final directions two days before the lighting, my lullabies undulating at the foot of Tolentino’s masterpiece. Salamat, Pag-iilaw team. The gratitude is overwhelming,” Millan said.

The program hosted by Nicole Cordoves and Karitha Ana Ordiz featured performances from the band Hello Ceasar, Abelardo Voices from the UPD College of Music, UP ROTC Symphonic Band, and Alwyn Franz Villaruel.

The Pag-iilaw ceremony is the first of three major year-end activities slated for December, the biggest of which is the annual Lantern Parade on Dec. 18 at the UP Academic Oval and the University Amphitheater, followed by Maskipaps: The Crossover on Dec. 20.

Check out more photos of the Pag-iilaw at the UP Diliman Facebook Page.