Pahiyas Festival - Lucban Quezon
May 27, 2008 by admin
Filed under Pahiyas Festival, Quezon Festival
Pahiyas Festival
Celebrated every 15th of May, the Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon province, is known for the richly decorated house facades adorned with kiping (a thin, brightly colored rice wafer) and local produce. Originally a thanksgiving ritual by farmers to local anitos (spirits) for a bountiful harvest, it became a festival to honor the patron saint of farmers, San Isidro Labrador, when the Spaniards came to the Philippines in the early 16th century. Farmers put their harvest on their doorstep to receive the priest’s blessing during the procession around town of the image of San Isidro.
The Mexican taco was said to have inspired the kiping (from the local term “kipi” meaning squeezing water out of dough with a heavy object). In 1734, Captain Francisco de los Santos of Lucban brought a local, Juan Suarez to Mexico on a trading trip. After seeing the thin, crispy, Mexican taco, Juan Suarez made a local version from a mixture of ground rice and water when he got home. Dyed with radiant hues such as yellow, green red, and fuchsia, the kiping make beautiful decorations, especially when tied together to make flower or chandelier shapes. Kiping can also be fried, roasted, or sweetened with sugar and coconut milk to make a delicious dessert.
To create more impact, households started decorating the entire façade of the house, instead of just putting the agricultural harvest in the doorstep. The name “pahiyas” (which means to decorate) was coined by Lucban Art Club president Fernando Cadeliña Nañawa, to name the exhibit and trade fair that the club organized in 1969 to go with the harvest festival. The name has been used to refer to the whole festival since. The government gives away prizes to the best decorated house, encouraging homeowners to outdo each other. The display has evolved to include locally-made handicrafts, such as woven hats, bags, and placemats; locally processed food such as longganisa (sausages) and even local delicacies such as the head of a roasted suckling pig (lechon).
