Pahiyas
May 15 is the Feast of San Isidro de Labrador, the patron saint of farmers. This year, I spent the morning scouring the aisles of IKEA for $6 area rugs to put in my apartment. If I were in the Philippines I would be packing the car and driving with my daughter to see the Pahiyas Festival in Lucban and Sariaya towns in Quezon Province.
The annual pilgrimage has no significant religious meaning to me. It started when my boyfriend brought me and my friends there one year and then the next year I decided to go with my family. I was enchanted by the 'bayanihan' (teamwork) spirit of the people in presenting an awesome event in honor of their patron saint. Since then we’d travel there regularly, my daughter and I often taking the long way into the town, eating lunch at a restaurant (forgot the name) along the way that has tables floating on rafts and what seemed like islands on water. The grilled tilapia is fresh, tastes sweet and are cloud-like in its feel. The shrimps would be cooked in garlic and butter and would literally just want to jump off their shells and into your mouth. The oysters just lightly steamed would be juicy and tasting like the sea. And of course, you end the meal with delicious yellow mangoes ripened from the trees. You now either have the energy to hike the streets of Lucban at the foot of Mount Banahaw, or siesta under the shade of the mango tree.
The first sign that you have arrived is the long line of cars parked along the sides of the narrow streets. The main area of the town near the church and where the procession route would take place is off limits to vehicles. The only way around is to ‘cadillac-ad’ – to walk. So you park your car, load yourself with the camera and some water and then lock it after a prayer that it wouldn’t be broken into or worse, be car napped while you are amusing yourself for the rest of the day.
As a gesture of respect, pass by the cathedral and say a prayer. If you did not have the time to pass by the restaurant or if you just want to have a taste of it, order some pancit habhab from the many vendors in the church courtyard. It will be served to you on a squared piece of banana leaf. Realizing you have no kubiyertos (fork/spoon) to lift the mouth watering meal to your mouth, dive in and enjoy the feast straight from the leaf. That is what habhab means. The habhab noodles are unique to this town and made only here. Of course, some restaurants in Makati and Manila now make their own versions of the Habhab but nothing like the ambiance of eating it straight from the banana leaf and under the huge canopy of trees in this picturesque town.
A Pahiyas Scene
Then it is time to see what the Pahiyas is all about. Pahiyas is a Tagalog word meaning ‘to decorate’. And that is taken to the extreme by the residents of this town on this yearly festival. Used to be, homes were decorated according to how the family derived their main source of income, often farming. Strings of beans, eggplants or other vegetables would be hung to cover the façade of the residences as part of a paganistic homage to the patron saint for a good harvest. These days I think it is more of ‘anything goes’ since a majority of the residents are no longer dependent on farming. Straw hats, abaniko fans or the coconut broom have found a purpose as a display item during the festival. And the creativity of concept that is used by each house is brilliantly unique and is always worthy of a photograph. Some homes are open to anyone for some free San Miguel beer in tubs of ice that is so especially refreshing since this is also the peak of the summer season when temperatures are apt to climb to the 90’s. Some homes give away locally made yema candies or the more generous, welcome you to partake in their feasts. An open house, really!
Bands make a round of the streets - playing popular local songs or some marching tune. On a street corner an inpromtu ati-atihan (people with painted faces dancing wildly with loudly pounding drums) could be creating mayhem. A karaoke party might be ongoing in another corner.
A Kiping Decoration
The ‘kiping’ is seen everywhere - colorful wafer-thin sheets of rice that the natives use to make chandeliers or painstakingly cover their homes with it. How is it made? From a paste of ground rice, colored, and then it is molded on huge leaves and baked. It is a lot of work to make these kipings, all to please the visitors and tourist who descend into this town at the heart of Quezon Province. And yet I know each one of the locals look to this day every year with anticipation.
Not all the houses are decorated. Only those along the route of the procession from the church and every year, this is changed to allow everyone to share in the celebration and at the same time allow for a year or two of reprieve from the expenses of the grandiose celebration. But everyone prepares for the influx of visitors regardless if your house is decorated, within the procession route or not. The feast of San Isidro de Labrador is celebrated all throughout the town and to other farming towns in the country.
As the day is almost to an end, you round the corner that marks where you have started and you breathe in the hospitality of a people, the vividness of its celebration, the chaos of a sea of tourists in various stage and degree of amusement. The warmth of the summer day is often broken by a slight cool breeze from the mountain. Fresh clean frigid water runs along the canals of the town from the mountains and drains into the lower towns of Laguna. Old ancentral houses with balconajes and capiz windows make for a more beautiful canvas. This town is even lovelier to visit sans the decorations and the mayhem. Picturesque and always welcoming.
You heave a sigh of relief to find your car where you had parked it with nothing missing or broken into. A day tour of special interest is done. The journey back to the city might take a longer toll as traffic mounts. But you have your day’s souvenirs in the back of your car – some pancit habhab noodles to cook at home, lucban longganisa (secret? lots of garlic), lengua de gato cookies and some ‘kiping’ you had snatched from an unsuspecting house. The music is jazzy and the aircon keeps you cool. Trust me, one excursion and you will be back next year.
I wish I was there right now.
NOTE: There are a lot of other sites to find out more about the Pahiyas or other fiestas and the Philippines. Entertaining is inherent on our culture. We love to invite, cook and feed our guests great meals. The fiestas that are celebrated all through the year in honor of different saints reflect this very well. Feasts that not only are to please the appetite but the other senses as well.
For more about Pahiyas, you might want to check out: www.discoverquezon.com
The annual pilgrimage has no significant religious meaning to me. It started when my boyfriend brought me and my friends there one year and then the next year I decided to go with my family. I was enchanted by the 'bayanihan' (teamwork) spirit of the people in presenting an awesome event in honor of their patron saint. Since then we’d travel there regularly, my daughter and I often taking the long way into the town, eating lunch at a restaurant (forgot the name) along the way that has tables floating on rafts and what seemed like islands on water. The grilled tilapia is fresh, tastes sweet and are cloud-like in its feel. The shrimps would be cooked in garlic and butter and would literally just want to jump off their shells and into your mouth. The oysters just lightly steamed would be juicy and tasting like the sea. And of course, you end the meal with delicious yellow mangoes ripened from the trees. You now either have the energy to hike the streets of Lucban at the foot of Mount Banahaw, or siesta under the shade of the mango tree.
The first sign that you have arrived is the long line of cars parked along the sides of the narrow streets. The main area of the town near the church and where the procession route would take place is off limits to vehicles. The only way around is to ‘cadillac-ad’ – to walk. So you park your car, load yourself with the camera and some water and then lock it after a prayer that it wouldn’t be broken into or worse, be car napped while you are amusing yourself for the rest of the day.
As a gesture of respect, pass by the cathedral and say a prayer. If you did not have the time to pass by the restaurant or if you just want to have a taste of it, order some pancit habhab from the many vendors in the church courtyard. It will be served to you on a squared piece of banana leaf. Realizing you have no kubiyertos (fork/spoon) to lift the mouth watering meal to your mouth, dive in and enjoy the feast straight from the leaf. That is what habhab means. The habhab noodles are unique to this town and made only here. Of course, some restaurants in Makati and Manila now make their own versions of the Habhab but nothing like the ambiance of eating it straight from the banana leaf and under the huge canopy of trees in this picturesque town.
A Pahiyas Scene
Then it is time to see what the Pahiyas is all about. Pahiyas is a Tagalog word meaning ‘to decorate’. And that is taken to the extreme by the residents of this town on this yearly festival. Used to be, homes were decorated according to how the family derived their main source of income, often farming. Strings of beans, eggplants or other vegetables would be hung to cover the façade of the residences as part of a paganistic homage to the patron saint for a good harvest. These days I think it is more of ‘anything goes’ since a majority of the residents are no longer dependent on farming. Straw hats, abaniko fans or the coconut broom have found a purpose as a display item during the festival. And the creativity of concept that is used by each house is brilliantly unique and is always worthy of a photograph. Some homes are open to anyone for some free San Miguel beer in tubs of ice that is so especially refreshing since this is also the peak of the summer season when temperatures are apt to climb to the 90’s. Some homes give away locally made yema candies or the more generous, welcome you to partake in their feasts. An open house, really!
Bands make a round of the streets - playing popular local songs or some marching tune. On a street corner an inpromtu ati-atihan (people with painted faces dancing wildly with loudly pounding drums) could be creating mayhem. A karaoke party might be ongoing in another corner.
A Kiping Decoration
The ‘kiping’ is seen everywhere - colorful wafer-thin sheets of rice that the natives use to make chandeliers or painstakingly cover their homes with it. How is it made? From a paste of ground rice, colored, and then it is molded on huge leaves and baked. It is a lot of work to make these kipings, all to please the visitors and tourist who descend into this town at the heart of Quezon Province. And yet I know each one of the locals look to this day every year with anticipation.
Not all the houses are decorated. Only those along the route of the procession from the church and every year, this is changed to allow everyone to share in the celebration and at the same time allow for a year or two of reprieve from the expenses of the grandiose celebration. But everyone prepares for the influx of visitors regardless if your house is decorated, within the procession route or not. The feast of San Isidro de Labrador is celebrated all throughout the town and to other farming towns in the country.
As the day is almost to an end, you round the corner that marks where you have started and you breathe in the hospitality of a people, the vividness of its celebration, the chaos of a sea of tourists in various stage and degree of amusement. The warmth of the summer day is often broken by a slight cool breeze from the mountain. Fresh clean frigid water runs along the canals of the town from the mountains and drains into the lower towns of Laguna. Old ancentral houses with balconajes and capiz windows make for a more beautiful canvas. This town is even lovelier to visit sans the decorations and the mayhem. Picturesque and always welcoming.
You heave a sigh of relief to find your car where you had parked it with nothing missing or broken into. A day tour of special interest is done. The journey back to the city might take a longer toll as traffic mounts. But you have your day’s souvenirs in the back of your car – some pancit habhab noodles to cook at home, lucban longganisa (secret? lots of garlic), lengua de gato cookies and some ‘kiping’ you had snatched from an unsuspecting house. The music is jazzy and the aircon keeps you cool. Trust me, one excursion and you will be back next year.
I wish I was there right now.
NOTE: There are a lot of other sites to find out more about the Pahiyas or other fiestas and the Philippines. Entertaining is inherent on our culture. We love to invite, cook and feed our guests great meals. The fiestas that are celebrated all through the year in honor of different saints reflect this very well. Feasts that not only are to please the appetite but the other senses as well.
For more about Pahiyas, you might want to check out: www.discoverquezon.com