Pabalat is a form of

papercutting Papercutting or paper cutting is the art of paper designs. Art has evolved all over the world to adapt to different cultural styles. One traditional distinction most styles share is that the designs are cut from a single sheet of paper as oppo ...

originating in the province of

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Me ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It involves making intricate papercut designs from wrappers used in

pastillas Pastillas, also known as pastillas de leche (literally "milk pills"), refer to a type of milk-based confections that originated in the town of San Miguel in Bulacan, Philippines. From San Miguel, pastillas-making spread to other Philippine pro ...

and laminated as bookmarks, and usually made from ''papel de japon'' (

Japanese paper is traditional Japanese paper. The term is used to describe paper that uses local fiber, processed by hand and made in the traditional manner. ''Washi'' is made using fibers from the inner bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub ('' ...

). Among the well-known practitioners of the craft are San Miguel residents Nene Luz Ocampo and her daughter, Naty Ocampo-Castro. The origin of the art form is vague, but according to Luz Ocampo, the art form may have been derived from Chinese papercutting brought by Chinese merchants. The form may also have been an offshoot of papel picado from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. There are also variations in pabalat making in Bulacan. In San Miguel, a stencil is used in tracing a pattern on the paper for pabalat-making, while in

Malolos Malolos, officially the City of Malolos ( fil, Lungsod ng Malolos), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 261,189 people. It is the capital city ...

, a stencil is not used, preferring to create the design in a "free-form" and impromptu fashion.

References

{{decorative-art-stub Folk art Paper art Philippine art Philippine handicrafts