🧡 Pahiyas Festival, Philippines 🧡

Helllo beautiful people coming across this post. I hope y'all enjoy learning about the Pahiyas Festival today! ❤

The Pahiyas Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth of May every year in the Town of Lucban, Quezon. This celebration is held in order to express gratitude to the patron saint of farmers, Saint Isidore the Laborer, for a year of bountiful harvest .

The word Pahiyas has been derived from the local vernacular “PAYAS” meaning “decoration or to decorate”. The “PAHIYAS” has since been used to describe the colorful festival of Lucban.

💛The Beginnings of the Pahiyas Festival 💛

San Isidro de Labrador is the patron saint of farmers across the country , farmers owe their harvests to him , and it is also him to which farmers pray if the year is looking glum. The tradition dates back to the 15th century when farmers used to offer their harvests at the foot of Mt. Banahaw, known to be the most sacred mountain in the country. As Catholicism took stronger hold, the offerings were transitioned to be done at the Church in honor of San Isidro de Labrador.

At the time, a parish priest would give a blessing for the farmers and the harvest that they brought. As time went on, the Church could no longer accommodate the growing number of farmers and harvest. The town then decided to display their harvests in their houses instead, and the priest goes around the community to provide his blessing.

Thus, the annual festival was born.

💚Different festivities and main attractions 💚

the whole festival starts with a Eucharistic Celebration. The thanksgiving mass is held at 6:00 AM at the San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Parish Church. It’s followed by a procession of the saint’s statue and makes a circuit on the streets around the church.

The main draw of the Pahiyas Festival is the transformation of the town into a colorful and vibrant exhibit. The houses are decorated with fruits, vegetables, rice stalks, rice grains, flowers and other agricultural produce.

The harvests are displayed in front of the house so that the parish priest can bless them as he passes by during the procession.

Residents make colourful, leaf-shaped rice wafers called kiping; the dyed kiping are usually sewn together to form a wreath and these wreaths are arranged into a two- or three-layer chandelier, called aranya, which are hung on the windows.

A procession featuring the image of the saint and his wife goes around the town.

The day concludes with feasting. When in Lucban, do not miss the town's delicious specialties: the Pancit Habhab and the Longganisang Lucban.

The Pancit Habhab is noodle made from rice flour and is sold on the streets on a piece of banana leaf.

The Longganisang Lucban is a local sausage made of ground pork, paprika, oregano extract, salt, pepper and garlic.

Phillipines is definitely a country with such vibrant and beautiful festivals, I enjoyed learning about the Pahiyas festivities and it was also so great to know how's it's celebrated !

🧡Discussion time 🧡

1. What did you enjoy learning the most about the Pahiyas festival ?

2. Have you tried any Filipino cuisine? How was your experience ?

Tagging our ATW community -:

@Clara139175 @marvelloustree1111 @shiningPuppy49 @compassionateTree4567 @leafycup @1Vanillaicecream @AddictedTealover98 @Adeline12345 @AlwaysRedeemable @Angela243 @azuladragon34 @Bint @BleuPhoenix @Bosslady9601 @bouncyVoice4149 @bubblyblueberry89 @Char202425 @ClairePotato @CupidtheKingofLove @cuteOrange213 @Daishy @DepressedTransAlex @dtanushree @fairmindedWisteria3450 @fantasticDancer50 @frostyIris5554 @GeneralIroh @GhostLily @healingWhisper @herealways27 @iwishuwell @K87 @Kenn13chan @lyricalAngel70 @magicalPainting28 @miraculousheart9815 @MoonlightHelper1 @mxmes @NimoSayeda @orangeAster4 @peppapigisqueen08 @phantom25 @Redskyi @Resourcefulsouth @scarletSugar3797 @sincere5772 @SoMicha @StillPlanet @stjarnagrace @SunflowerOnTheHill @Sunisshiningandsoareyou @SweetTortoise @sympatheticCup6312 @TessMo @theheartproject @treeHugger7 @uniqueApricot19 @VerseArt @WelcomeToChat @whackamoo @WhiteDolphin27 @YaboiRogers @Zulegirl

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this vibrant and cheerful festival!

Have a great day ahead! ❤