Pahiyas: A Harvest Feast
Travel Date: May 15, 2013 Last year, my wish to watch the famous Pahiyas Festival finally happened in an instant decision. No itinerary or preparation, we drove all the way to Lucban, Quezon with just a map and cameras. The Pahiyas Festival is held every 15 th of May, where the people of Lucban celebrate good harvest in honor of San Isidro de Labrador. At the town proper, the houses are creatively decorated with fruits, vegetables, rice stalks, and leaves to symbolize prosperity of their agriculture. During the festival and procession, we walked all around the town center to watch the parade and see the houses boasting their designs. The parade includes carabaos decorated with vegetables and fruits, higantes, cowboys on their horses, and ladies dressed in indigenous materials designed by local designers. We got hungry from walking, so we ate pancit habhab, one of the most popular dishes of Lucban, served on banana leaf. There was no spoon and f