Hibalag: Parade of Lights
The Hibalag Parade of Lights is one of the cornerstone events of the Hibalag Season at Silliman University. This year’s Parade of Lights was held on August 19, 2024, at 6:00 PM. During the Parade of Lights, student organizations all line up with their custom-made torches as they parade through the streets and into the Hibalag grounds. Since the College of Computer Studies does not have an organization for the parade, I and my friend, Karen, joined by tagging along my other friend’s, Anne's, organization, SUJLOOP.
Through the event, I learned to practice patience and master it since the event started very late. While it was supposed to start at 6:00 PM, the parade only began to move by 6:45 PM, which made my legs go numb from all the standing and waiting. Still, we all remained patient until eventually the parade started. The SUJLOOP organization is a small organization since it only comprises Office System Administration students, so I initially expected them to be a calm group. To my surprise, they were incredibly energetic, especially their organization head, who yelled cheers from the top of her lungs throughout the parade. To me, they were the true highlight of the parade. Not to mention, their torch was very meticulously crafted and very well-made.
Because of the Parade of Lights, my views on the traditions and student organizations of Silliman University have truly expanded beyond common knowledge. Everyone did such amazing jobs in making their torches just so that they would stand out among the darkness of the nighttime streets. It made me think just how hard-working all the organization members must be to build such elaborate designs despite having very packed class schedules. While I may not be able to walk the Parade of Lights through my own college’s organization, I hope that I’ll be able to join SUJLOOP’s group in future parades soon. Though I really hope CCS does register an organization soon so that they can also enjoy the benefits of being a registered group.
Because of this activity, I am more than excited to see more Parade of Lights in the future. I want to wait and see what kind of torch designs the student organizations will build for next year.