WORLD'S ONE OF THE MOST COLORFUL FESTIVALSSeasons of Merry Making in the Philippines is endless- aside from being hailed as having the longest and merriest celebration of Christmas, thanks to the traditions that the Spanish colonizer gifted to us. PAHIYAS Festival can be considered bravely by every Filipino as One of the World's Colorful Festival- if not one of the brightest (literally, since there are no presence of abundant lights in the province). 'Pahiyas' is derived from local Filipino word 'payas' which means- to decorate and acclaimed as the fiesta of all fiestas. Celebrated every 15th day of May every year, the Pahiyas festival transforms the small town of Lucban in Quezon from ordinary to extravagant sight. Originated as a pagan harvest celebration, it is now commemorated in honor of San Isidro Labrador- the Patron Saint of Farmers, peasant and laborers used to be a farmer in Madrid. Preparation for Pahiyas Festival is tedious and requires a lot of skills, but only celebrated only for a short period. The most anticipated sight to see is the colorful decoration of houses made from fruits, vegetables, and kipings.
The locals believed that the practice started when the farmers offered harvest at the foot of Mount Banahaw. The tradition changed eventually and and the food offering was brought to the church. They bring the harvest to have more blessings and believed that this ritual was essential because the were told failure to do so could bring deprivation, death and misfortune to the town.
In keeping the tradition alive, the locals agreed to display their harvest in front of their houses where the parish priest would come to bless the harvest during the procession of the image of San Isidro Labrador.
Because of the economic situation, the town decided that every year, only the assigned houses would participate by means of competition- the best of the decorative and creative design of the Pahiyas during the festival. After the competition, all the decorations will be thrown away to the people. But the important thing to prove that you have been to Lucban is seeing the colorful kipings and tasting the delicious Pancit Habhab and Longanisang Lucban.
KIPINGS are leaf-shaped rice wafers brilliantly dyed in colors- in red, fuschia, green, yellow and in other radiant colors. The leaves used include the kabal, kape (brown coffee tree leaf), talisay (umbrella tree), kakaw (cocoa tree) and saba (cooking banana). A kiping becomes more attractive when it catches the rays of the sun, turning it into downpour of eye-catching colors.
They say, the procedure in making the kiping is a secret and only the chosen ones will be entrusted to make it.
So, get your best and favorite sneakers or rubber shoes, water bottles, cameras, video camera, hats, and umbrellas. Welcome to the Pahiyas Festival!
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