My Very First Pahiyas Experience

Last Saturday, I visited Lucban to see their famous Pahiyas Festival. This festival is the best of all the festivals that I had visited so far.

Pahiyas Festival celebrates the feast of San Isidro (a.k.a. St. Isidore one of the doctors of the church). It is the time that the people of Lucban showcase their bountiful harvest as their way of saying "thank you" to God.
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Welcome to Pahiyas 2010
Welcome to Pahiyas Festival 2010

What made the Pahiyas Festival famous are the houses that were dressed like lanterns. The houses are covered with colorful kiping, rice grains, vegetables, and even longganisa. The house that has the most creative design will be judged as the best house for the year’s Pahiyas Festival.
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Decorated house during Pahyas 20100
Houses in Lucban are like Christmas lanterns.

Pahiyas House
 Decorated houses are more amazing during the night.
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The best house in Pahiyas 2010
 This house is this year's grand champion of the Pahiyas Festival.
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Kiping is the unique element in each of the decorated houses in Pahiyas Festival. Kiping is a blade-thin cracker that was made from the flour of grounded rice. It is unflavored and is in different color. I tried eating one of the kiping flakes but I didn't like because its bland.

Kiping chandelier in Pahiyas Festival
Kiping chandelier.
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Gaiety filled the streets of Lucban as people watched the parades of the different floats. Just like the houses, floats are designed with kiping, vegetables, and fruits.

Pancit Habhab Cart in Pahiyas Festival
A beautiful float of Pahiyas Festival.
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Mother and daughter in Pahiyas Festival
Mother and daughter team-up.
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The best float in Pahiyas 2010
Best float of Pahiyas Festival 2010.

Beautiful Lucbanons also paraded much to the elation of the audience (including me). The contestants also were adorned by native products and that include kiping.

Ube Queen of Pahiyas Festival
Ube Queen.
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Ms. Pahiyas 2010
The fairest of them all. ;-)

Not to be outdone, carabaos (water buffalo) pulling decorated sleds were also paraded. People were amazed and, at the same time, scared of the big water buffaloes and their large horns.

Parade of carabaos during Pahiyas

The best carabao in Pahiyas 2010
And this carabao beat them all.
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 Pahiyas festival is the busiest day for Lucban. Many tourists go to this town to see the decorated houses and join in the festivities. People who have relatives or friends in Lucban visit the town to eat the delicacies for free. Fiesta in the Philippines is one happy affair and the Pahiyas Festival is not different.

Expect heavy traffic during the Pahiyas festival. Roads that will be used for the parade are closed and the number of visitors in the town causes the traffic to move very slowly. Visitors usually go down outside of the town and walk towards the poblacion. To enjoy the Pahiyas Festival, it is suggested that you walk around town to see the interesting things that the festival is offering.

Heavy traffic during the Pahiyas Festival
Lucban festival made these cars trapped in a hellish traffic.

Stalls, offering pasalubong (food) and other souvenirs, were set-up all around the town. There are shops selling hats, delicacies from Lucban, souvenir t-shirts, keychain, and other souvenir items. Visitors have many items to choose from.

Pasalubong from Lucban, Quezon
Broas? Apas? Nuts? Any pasalubong you want is available.

Hats and fans for sale in Pahiyas
Nothing beats the sun like these cool hats.

My latest Lucban visit is really amazing. Even though I was irritated by the long travel to Lucban from Manila, the grandness of the Pahiyas Festival is more than enough for me to feel that my visit is very well worth it.

Here are more pictures of the Pahiyas Festival:

Watching the Pahiyas parade

Visitor to the Pahiyas Festival

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29 comments:

  1. Ooo...so nice, so colourful! What's that? Ube Malaya? Something from my country?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah Suitapui, ^_^

      The Pahiyas Festival is one of the colorful festivels in the Philippines.

      Oh! No. That's not ube malaya. That is ube halaya.

      That one is also delicious.

      Delete
  2. Waa! Kainggit naman! I love your pics. Sino kasama mo pumunta?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha! Mamatay ka sa inggit. :-P Joke lang. Kasama kong pumunta d'yan ay ang aking mga office mates. Sulit na sulit and punta at ang saya.

      Delete
  3. hahahaha nice nice! naglaway ako parang gusto kong kumain ng pansit habhab at yung longganisang lucban... hehehehehehe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pasensya na kung ginutom kita bro. ^_^

      Malas nga eh. Hindi ako nakabili ng Longganisang Lucban. Ang haba kasi ng pila dun sa Eker. Yung Pansit Habhab eh natikman ko.

      Delete
  4. Wow!!
    Great job.,
    I hope i could go there someday...
    Newbie...^^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!

      Makakapunta ka rin dun. Kung kailangan mo ng info about sa pagpunta dun eh pwede mo akong tanungin.

      Salamat sa pagdalaw.

      Delete
  5. Tsk. Makakapunta rin ako dyan at pag nakapunta ako, iinggitin din kita. Hehe...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :-P As if naman mainggit ako kung makapunta ka dun someday eh naunahan na kita pumunta dun. Haha! Nang-away. Peace tayo CJ. ^_^

      Delete
  6. wow.. iSh... gusto ko talaga makaattend sa Pahiyas kaso sobrang layo

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  7. wow,...great shots you got here ISh

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  8. sorry for my late visit Ish! have a great day and happy blogging

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  9. lagot ka tinitingnan ka ng kalabaw!!! photogenic sya ha LOL

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    Replies
    1. Ok lang yung late ang dalaw mo. Better late than never eh.

      Punta ka next year. Kung pupunta kame dun ule't eh sabihan kita para makasama ka. Ok lang ba yun sa iyo?

      Thanks thanks, kahit papano ay may alam din ako sa photography. Oo nga pala, yung picture ng kalabaw at ng nakailaw na bahay sa Lucban ay kuha ng aking friend.

      Delete
  10. Wow, this is really something worth blogging for. Your blog is worth reading of cause you really showcase the Philippine culture!

    Sorry ha, i can't get able to return your comments regularly. I am busy lately eh. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Gusto ko lang talaga i-share kasi talaga namang na-amaze ako ng sobra sa Pahiyas. Astig kasi eh.

      Ok lang yun Steve uy, gaya nga ng sabi ko kay Blue: "Better late than never."

      Delete
  11. i've been to Lucban when i was 10 years old...X)...the festival is really very colorful...hindi ka lang sa pagkaen mabubusog pati na rin sa mga makikita mo while walking around the town...

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    Replies
    1. Bro! ^_^

      Ang tagal mo na pala noong huling bumisita sa Pahiyas. Pwede na uling bumalik.

      Tama ka nga. Busog na ang t'yan mo, busog din ang mata mo. Ang problema ko lang ay lumaki ng todo t'yan ko. Haha...time for diet.

      Delete
  12. Tnx for visiting my blog bro X) oo nga eh nine years na ang nakalipas nung huli ak0ng pumunta sa lucban. Anyway natry nyo ba mgswimming anywhere in quez0n?kasi mer 0ng mga resort dun na may hotspring tapos mer0ng ding mga swimming po0l na galing talaga sa bundok ung water and at the same time para na rin xang infinity po0l kasi napapalitan din ung water..naalala ko s0mewhere sa tayabas,quez0n ung resort na un eh di ba malapit rin lang un sa lucban...wala lang suggesti0n lang next time na magpunta kayo sa lucban try nyo mgswimming hehe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah. Katabi lang ng Lucban yung Tayabas.

      Thanks for giving me information. Ino note ko 'yan para next time na magawi kami duon eh meron na kaming mapupuntahan.

      Actually, nakapunta na ako sa isang resort sa Lucban. Dun sa Batis Aramin. Located 'yun sa tapat ng Kamay ni Hesus Shrine.

      Delete
  13. hi ishmael :) ei, i was there during the pahiyas festival too..i was with my akachan (bf) and his cousins (which are soon-to-be my cousins too) hehe :D we also took pictures..kaya lang we arrived there late afternoon kaya most of our pictures gabe na nakuha. pero ok lang kasi MAGANDA pa din..we were able to see all the pahiyas display of every houses there kaya lang we were not able to witnessed the parade...mayohan festival din kasi sa tayabas (sa side ng bf ko) kaya dun muna nauna..

    it's actually my first time to attend both the pahiyas and mayohan festival and i sooooo like it! i wanted to still go there next year ^_^

    by the way, thanks for visiting my site..and sorry it takes awhile for me to visit you back..just got so busy at work. take care ^_^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi girl next door.

      It is alright that you visited my site quite late. It is still a pleasure to see you visit here.

      Wow, it really seems that you had a great time in Pahiyas Festival. That is great. ^_^

      So you went to Mayohan Festival on that day too. Maybe I'll visit there next year to experience that festival of Tayabas.

      Thank you very much for visiting me.

      Delete
  14. thanks for featuring pahiyas festival hope to see you in lucban again

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  15. You are welcome! :-D

    Pahoyas Festival is such a wonderful event in your province.

    It will be enjoyable to visit there again.

    ReplyDelete
  16. malapit na naman to kita kits tayo sa pahiyas

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  17. Oo nga. Pahiyas na naman! Sana makabisita uli ako sa Lucban.

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  18. hi! thanks for sharing your wonderful photos! one question... mahirap ba parking pag pahiyas? or can we easily find one? ay two questions na pala yun.

    Thanks again and more power!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hello Roni,

    Well, depende iyan kung kailan ka pupunta sa Lucban. If you are going on the day of Pahiyas Festival mismo, then I believe na mahihirapan ka na sa paghahanap ng parking dahil jampacked na yung area at yung mga saskyan ay parallel parking na gilid ng main road.

    Ang isa mo pang kailangang alalahanin ay yung matinding traffic during Pahiyas Festival. Noong pumunta kami doon ay sa labas na ng Lucban kami pinababa ng jeepney driver at naglakad na lang kami papunta sa sentro ng Lucban. So, kung may dala kayong sasakyan ay posible na maipit kayo sa matinding traffic.

    I suggest that you go days before the festival or better yet humanap kayo ng tutuluyan na may parking space. I-reserve na ninyo yung tutuluyan ninyo bago kayo pumunta ng Lucban at sabihin ninyo na pa-reserve na rin ng parking space.

    I hope na naktulong ako sa iyo.

    Enjoy your Pahiyas Festival.

    ReplyDelete

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