Pahiyas Festival – gratitude to the patron saint San Isidro Labrador for good harvest

The Festival

Pahiyas is an event when Lucban community in Quezon give gratitude to the patron saint San Isidro Labrador for good harvest. In the celebration of the festival, every 15th of May, the front houses of people of Lucban are decorated with kiping, a native delicacy of brightly colored rice dough in thinlike wafers. Rice paste is used to make kiping. Leaves used in making of kiping are kakaw, saba, talisay, and kape. People say the secret of making great tasting kiping would remain secret to those who are entrusted ones.
Fruits, vegetables, grains particularly of rice, paper mache, and palm hats are also used to decorate the houses. After the festival, the kipings are processed to become chips.
In the afternoon, a procession is held as the image of the patron saint is carried all over the town to bless the farmers of good harvest.
Started in the 16th century, Pahiyas is simultaneously celebrated in Tayabas and Sariaya, both towns of Quezon Province. Later, they chose Pahiyas be held in Lucban for it is known for having lavish preparations.

Origin

Pahiyas is a local term for dÈcor. It is believed that everytime San Isidro, who used to be a farmer in Madrid, went to church, a white enchanted oxen plowed his field. Thus blesses him good harvest. As the Philippines became colonized by the Spaniards, the legend reached the local shores and introduced to the Filipino farmers.
In continuance of the tradition, it became the peopleís habit of displaying their produce in front of their houses where it could easily be seen by the parish priest as he blesses the farmerís harvest during the procession of San Isidro Labrador.

History

This extravagant festival is believed to have started when farmers perform rituals of bringing foods at the foot of Mount Banahaw. As time passes, foods were now brought to the church. It was once known that failure to exercise the ritual would mean bad luck, loss, and even death. Soon, the Lucban church, the townís oldest church became the venue of the Pahiyas Festival.

In Succession

The religious thanksgiving event is now being celebrated annually with the tradition of competing for the best creatively decorated house. Having the festival relived by people who have already experience the fun and excitement, and being introduced to tourists and visitors who are wishing to participate in the event, itís one way of marking Lucban in the map with itís popularly delicious pancit habhab, noodles that are eaten straight from banana leaf, one of the popular delicacies in this part of the Philippines, and sausage made of ground pork and fat, paprika, salt, garlic, pepper, and oregano, the Longganisang Lucban.

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