by Raadee Sausa May 7, 2021 Lucban San Isidro Pahiyas Festival 2021 pro...
May 7, 2021
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Lucban San Isidro Pahiyas Festival 2021 program. (Photo from
Konsehala Mafe Veluz Hari)
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LUCBAN, Quezon - The Lucban San Isidro Pahiyas Festival 2021 has kicked-off on May 1 via virtual with Lucban Municipal Tourism.
Led by Mayor Celso Oliver Dator, the festival is probably the most amazing harvest celebration of the Philippines.
The annual festival is dedicated to the patron saint of peasants and farmers, Isidore the Farm Labourer.
Every May 15, thousands of visitors flock to Lucban to see the events and activities that make the Pahiyas so unique.
However, in 2020, Dator issued Executive Order 28 that effectively canceled all public events from March 15 to 31, including “Pahiyas Festival.” He explained that “the widespread and pandemic character” of the dreaded virus needs immediate attention to prevent its spread. The local chief executive, in his order, said the events to be celebrated “has to be considerably assessed due to the prevalent virus spread.”
On the eve of the festival, residents of Lucban decorate their houses with vegetables, fruits, and kiping (coloured rice wafer in the leaf shape). The name of the festival comes from the word ‘payas,’ which means to decorate.
There are also music stages and street food stalls set up for the guests. For many Filipinos, this vibrant, fun-filled event is the most exciting festival of the year!
While celebrations may be scaled back this year, because of pandemic it doesn’t mean the fun has to stop.
Why not try adorning your house with colorful decorations and food products to celebrate the start of the harvest season? Or, you could encourage children to put on their most colorful outfits and perform a Hatvest Song for you as if they’re a part of the parade.
Teach your child all about Pahiyas at home and why we celebrate harvest festivals. This engaging PowerPoint teaches children about the different harvest celebrations that take place around the world. Why not get children to research the similarities and differences between Pahiyas and another celebration?
Moreover, the procession of ‘Kalas’ is the main highlight of the festival. It's when the crowd tries to take decorations down from the house, and owners try to stop it from happening.
It's a fun event that many residents of Lucban look forward to. During the festival, farmers show their great agricultural produce: radish, pepper, and rice. You can see the famous "Anok" decorations (miniatures) made of fruits, veggies, and longganisa sausage everywhere. Arangya are huge flowers made from kiping in fuschia, yellow, and other bright colours.
The festivities go back to the 15th century when farmers made offerings at the foot of Mount Banahaw. Later on, they started bringing their farm produce to the church in Lucban in honor of St. Isidore the Laborer, the patron saint of the town and of farmers and peasants.
Worshippers would bring their harvest to the church to be blessed by the parish priest to express gratitude to their Lord for such a bountiful harvest. Over time, the church could no longer accommodate all farm produce and, thus, a decision to display the harvests at the households across Lucban was made. The parish priest would go from one household to another to bless their harvests.
The modern version of the Festival of Pahiyas in Lucban started in 1963. It featured a competition for the best-decorated house, cultural shows, parades, and exhibitions.
There is no other festival like Pahiyas in the Philippines! It's definitely a one of a kind event worth visiting.
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