Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon

Pahiyas Festival: Teope Legacy

Pahiyas Festival is a yearly festival in honor of San Isidro de Labrador for the good harvest of the town in Lucban, Quezon. Every 15th of May the creativity differs from house to house with colorful kipings, anok, different fruits, vegetables, root crops and rice barn, woven hats and other native products, delicacies and food that originated from Lucban.

The family of Teope is known for creating famous designs for the Pahiyas Festival. The ancestral house of Teope is along Regidor Street and always refers to as Daang Dalahican, a commonplace known by Lucbanin’s. During the early days, Daang Dalahican was a street filled with award-winning payas.

The Teope family always bagged awards every Pahiyas Festival for the years that the route will end up on their street. Even the extended families of Teope who live in other streets also make a beautiful design that also generates awards. The kin also established themselves as creator of kiping. Some of the Lucbanin buys kiping to the different Teope kin who made the kiping their business.

Pahiyas Gallery

Pahiyas in Black and White

Pahiyas 1970’s

Pahiyas 1982 – Photo c/o C. Raneses

 

Pahiyas 1984

 

Pahiyas 1988
Pahiyas 1990
Pahiyas 1992
Pahiyas 1995
Pahiyas in 1998
Pahiyas 2000
Pahiyas 2009
Pahiyas 2013
Pahiyas 2018
Pahiyas Festival Postcard
Pahiyas Portrait in Museum

Some photos of the old house are also featured in a local Museum with their rice gallery and another one was used as postcard.

Pahiyas 2020 with Payas and Kiping Master – Rolly Teope

How to Make Kiping by Teope

We would like to give our heart felt appreciation to the different TV programs to feature the Teope Family particularly Bert Teope about the “Making of Kiping” and also for the International Rice Research Institute. Credits are due to the Youtube Channels respectively.

For other posts about Lucban, check this out: Lucban Pahiyas FestivalLucban, QuezonKamay ni Hesus

Note: Please check with the Lucban Municipal Tourism Office for the requirements needed to visit the destination. Please contact 0425401279 or email at lucbantourism@yahoo.com.

Lucban Pahiyas Festival

Pahiyas Festival is a yearly festival in honor of San Isidro de Labrador for the good harvest of the town in Lucban, Quezon.   Every 15th of May the creativity differs from house to house with colorful kipings, anok, different fruits, vegetables, root crops and rice barn, woven hats and other native products, delicacies and food that originated from Lucban.

Lucbanin (locals of Lucban) prepares for the festival at the start of the year.  The municipality gives the route map where the festival will take place. A normal Lucbanin asks “Daan ba sa atin?”  This means if Pahiyas would pass by their street.

The household on the street included in the route map will think of their payas (much often used by Lucbanin) or design of the house.

Kiping is a leaf-shaped wafer of flake made of rice. It is molded in a big leaf from “kabal.”  The colorful kipings are prepared every day because it takes time for the leaves to dry. The famous ‘arangya’ or chandeliers of different colors, needs a lot of kiping.  Arangya, depending on the size can reach the ceiling of the second floor down to the first floor of the house. Or sometimes even up to the third floor of the house. Other decorations can be made using kiping like flowers, orchids, wallpapers, and other artworks. Kiping of different colors are also edible and it is cook by grilling or frying it.

Harvested fruits, vegetables, root crops and rice barns are also used as decorations.  Woven hats or bags and other native products will also be seen as an ornament. “Anok” is a miniature dummy of the mannequin of people, usually farmer. The anok are used as decorations accompanied by a miniature of a life-size carabao.

The food during the occasion are kalderetang kalabaw, hardinera, embotido, pansit habhab or pansit lucban, longganisang lucban, kesong puti, kinulob and other food for the visitors. Delicacies are seen at the table like pinais, suman, halayang ube, budin, broas, meringue, puto seko etc.

On the 14th of May or sometimes earlier, is the start of decorating the front house.  Between 11AM to 2PM, the judges start checking the houses. The prizes include Grand Prize, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Special Awards, Ginintuang Butil, Best Arangya and other consolation awards

One of the highlights of Pahiyas is the “Parikitan.” In the afternoon, tourists wait for the parade of muses and escorts wearing native costumes and accessories, different floats with carabaos, higantes and the procession of San Isidro Labrador. Awards will also be given during this time.

After the mass at the San Luis Church, you can drop by in the Tiangge outside the church and streets near the church where you can buy different products and pasalubong from Lucban.

At night, there’s a competition for the Best in Lights for the Pahiyas Festival at Night. The lights enhance the vibrant decoration during the night.

For other post about Lucban, please check Kamay ni Hesus