PAHIYAS FESTIVAL: Don't Miss the FUN in Lucban! - Awesome!

It is fun to participate in the Pahiyas Festival in Lucban which is always celebrated on May 15 (whether it falls on a weekday or weekend). The festival is a thanksgiving feast to San Isidro Labrador, the Patron Saint of farmers and good harvest.

Here’s a photo essay of the Pahiyas Festival Fun in Lucban…

Every year, we organize an Ultimate Pahiyas Tour led by Tina Decal, the best food and heritage tour guide of Quezon and the Pahiyas Festival.

We would leave Manila at 4am and arrive in Lucban in time for breakfast.

Pilipit (P5) is a popular street food made of kalabasa, malagkit and sugar. It’s original shape was a twisted 8 but now it resembles a donut.

It is sweet and sticky, good for dessert or merienda 🙂

Fresh and clean spring water is abundant in Lucban. It is used to clean the labanos vegetable.

Each trip includes a visit to the Lucban-born artist Erick Dator showcasing his latest kiping and pahiyas-inspired artworks.

Each painting would cost P20,000- P60,000 and you can have a special deal if you buy it during Pahiyas 🙂

Erick Dator
Website: www.erdato.multiply.com
Email: erickdator@yahoo.com
Mobile: +63 918 584-2455

We would often do a walking tour of Lucban following the well-decorated path of the San Isidro procession around the town which starts and ends at the Church.

Each year the procession path changes, to give chance to other houses to participate in decorating their houses with fruits, and kiping in honor of the blessed San Isidro for the good harvest season.

The cute vegetable art is one of the most photographed displays during the festival 🙂

Even the Angry Orange is having fun in Pahiyas 🙂

The houses serve as a photo wall and can be a perfect backdrop for your next Facebook profile pic 🙂

For the best souvenir photos, you can ask permission and have your photo taken inside the decorated houses.

Different balloons also add colorful texture to the Pahiyas festival.

The main decorative piece in Lucban is the Kiping made of rice galapong and shaped like leaves in different colors.

Kiping is edible. But it is like bland kropeck and you need to sprinkle sugar or salt for flavor. Some enterprising locals sell fried kiping for P10.

It is best to go to Pahiyas on a weekday because people traffic is manageable.

Boy Buko Shake is the preferred drink during the Pahiyas festival.

Street bands perform, chanting “haribon haribon” repeatedly while people dance on the street.

Singing with the band and dancing with the crowd is one of the fun experiences in Pahiyas 🙂

It’s also fun to see the colorful and lovely marching band 🙂

It’s a tradition to eat Pancit Hab Hab (P20) served on banana leaves with a little bit of vinegar. (specially from Lita’s Pansssiiit!)

Pancit Habhab is eaten directly from the banana leaves without any spoon or fork 🙂

The best pasalubong is always Lucban Longganisa (P70 for half-kilo).

Dont’ miss to eat Hardinera, a Pahiyas festival dish made of cube pork pieces mixed with vegetables and eggs.

Lucban has a very cool weather because it is located at the foot of Mt. Banahaw. It usually rains in the area giving it a very green and lush landscape.

See you on May 15 next year!

Live an Awesome Life,

Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com

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Full Disclosure: Our Awesome Planet is a co-founder of Ultimate Philippines Tours, the organizer of the Ultimate San Isidro Pahiyas Festival tour with Tina Decal.

P.S. Thank you to all the participants of the 2012 Ultimate San Isidro Pahiyas Festival Tour!