It's my first time to visit the Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon. And all along, I thought those colorful leaf-shaped decors were made of Japanese papers. I think I should really do some more researching. Haha :)
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Pahiyas Festival is a colorful celebration held every 15th of May in Lucban, Quezon in honor of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers. It is their form of thanksgiving for a good harvest with a grand display of agricultural harvests, rice wafers and handicrafts that paint each and every home in this town.
The culminating event of the Pahiyas Festival starts with a Holy mass in the Lucban Church, that was first built and 1595.
After the mass, it is followed by a procession of the image of San Isidro Labrador, followed by the image of his wife, Sta. Maria de la Cabeza, who carries a basket with triangulo biscuits, which are given to the children.
San Isidro Labrador
Sta. Maria de la Cabeza
It is said that the houses along the route of the procession will be blessed with bountiful harvest in the coming seasons. The decorations usually depend on the homeowner's livelihood. A rice farmer will have brightly-colored, leaf-shaped rice wafers called kiping (yeah, yeah, they're not made of Japanese paper).
Kiping is made from rice paste spread on a leaf and steamed for at least 30 minutes. After steaming, each leaf is dried until it is ready for peeling. These are usually arranged in layers of chandeliers called aranya.
They say that to avoid cracks on kiping,
complete silence must be observed
while mixing the rice paste. Shhhh.
After the festival, these can be cooked (grilled or fried) and eaten as chips. Edible decors are cool! :)
For other farmers, fruits and vegetables will be on display. As for those who make handicrafts, their houses are decorated with hats, bags and place mats. A butcher will have garlands of longganisang Lucban.
Aside from the extravagant decors, the cheerful smiles from the locals (and their pets.. haha) looking out of their windows added to the colorful and festive mood of the town.
Kawaii!! *dies*
Meow.
The warm reception of the locals, ice-cold buko juice, tasty pansit habhab and the unexpected sight of friends in the middle of human traffic along the streets made the Pahiyas experience bearable (despite the extreme heat) for a first time visitor like me...
..and for a young explorer like Dora.
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