In Lucban, colorful ‘Pahiyas’ hopes to draw bigger crowd

THANKSGIVING In Lucban, Quezon, every house along the procession route of the farmer’s patron saint, San Isidro de Labrador, during the Pahiyas Festival features multicolored “kiping” and
fresh farm produce as a symbol of thanksgiving, as shown in this photo taken before the pandemic. —DELFIN T. MALLARI JR.

LUCENA CITY—After a subdued staging last year, Quezon province’s Pahiyas Festival in Lucban town will return on May 15 with all the fanfare and color it has been known for before the coronavirus pandemic struck in 2020.

Maria Jenifer Babat, Lucban tourism officer, said houses along the procession route would be ready with decorations of “kiping” (colorful rice-based wafers arranged in chandelier-style artwork) and farm products before the staging of festivities from May 13 to May 15.

Malacañang has declared May 15 as a special nonworking day in Lucban to mark the Pahiyas, the local farmers’ tribute to the town’s patron saint, San Isidro de Labrador.

More than 500 house owners have so far registered in the local government-sponsored contest for best-decorated structure, with more contestants expected to join before May 15, said Babat.

The festival is popular for its display of multicolored kiping and fresh farm harvest in every house. Native bags and “longganisa” (sausage), the people’s main sources of livelihood, are also displayed in these houses.

In 2020 and 2021, the crowd-drawing celebration was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the festival was staged after a two-year break but the traditional color and merrymaking were subdued, with most houses along the procession route sparsely decorated since many lost their livelihood and sources of income due to the pandemic.

This year, however, Babat said they expected the number of tourists during the three-day event to reach the prepandemic crowd of about a million. The number of visitors last year reached 230,000 due to health and travel restrictions still in place then, she said.

Must-see

The Department of Tourism has promoted Pahiyas as a must-see event for tourists, owing to Lucban’s rich culture and history. The festival also boosts the local economy, particularly helping makers of Lucban’s famous longganisa and “pancit” (noodles).

Through a subsidy from the local government, each kiping can now be sold for P5 instead of its usual price of P10 to P12, said Sharon Oracion, one of Lucban’s popular kiping makers.

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