What is Pahiyas? Everything you need to know about the Filipino festival

In May every year, the Lucban San Isidro Pahiyas Festival transforms the towns across Quezon province into rainbow-coloured spectacles, as locals and tourists come together and celebrate one of the biggest harvest festivals in the Philippines. Sixty years on from the first modern-day Pahiyas, we answer your need-to-know questions about the festival, including where and how it is celebrated and the history of the event.

Pahiyas festival is the biggest and most colourful harvest festival in the Philippines that takes place annually to honour the patron saint of farmers, San Isidro Labrador. Most people head to Lucban to celebrate, as this is where Pahiyas originated, but festivities can be found across the province of Quezon, in towns such as Tayabas, Sariaya, Gumaca and Tiaong.

Every 15 May, locals decorate their houses with various fruit, vegetables, flowers and other produce, often in a stylistic design. Kipings (a thin leaf-shaped wafer made from rice paper) and longganisas (a Filipino sausage) are also considered ornamental during the festival. But beyond the beautification of houses, the highlight of the festival is the ‘Kalas’ procession, when people grab as much produce as they can from the decorated houses and run. It may sound mischievous, but it’s one of the most joyous parts of the festivals for both visitors and homeowners. Throughout the celebrations, which tend to last around two weeks, there are also competitions, parades, cultural performances, exhibits, and plenty of fiestas. 

Origins of the festival date back the 15^th century as an early thanksgiving ceremony. Farmers would bring their crops to the foot of Mount Banahaw as a celebration of a bountiful harvest. Over time, they began offering their produce to the church in honour of San Isidro. But as the tradition continued to grow, the churches did not have the facilities to keep the harvest offerings. Instead, farmers were asked to display their produce outside their own homes, and the parish priest would go door-to-door blessing each harvest. As time moved forward, locals wanted to ensure their traditions will not be forgotten into the future. This is why in 1963, the Pahiyas Festival was official founded by Fernando Cadeliña Nañawa, president of the Art Club of Lucban. 

The festival is all about celebrating food, so make sure to get stuck into plenty of Filipino dishes while you're here. Locals usually open up their homes and invite their neighbours and visitors to feast, dance, and socialise with them. These days, there are also plenty of street food vendors selling local delicacies. We suggest tucking into pancit habhab (rice flour noodles stir fried with vegetables and meat), or Lucban pilpit, (a sticky, sweet treat made with rice flour and squash and dipped in caramelised sugar). Don't go home without picking up a souvenir from the tiyangge, including native hats, bags, and food parcels.

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