The kiping at Pahiyas Festival
Now, for the main dish. The number one reason why I went to Lucban last May 15th was because of Pahiyas Festival. Yup, that’s right. The fiesta of splashing colours, food, alcohol, revelry, religiosity and the invasion of the paparazzi. Pahiyas Festival has been known all over the Philippines as the fiesta with colurful buntings decorated in the town’s houses called kiping. Seen at post cards, text books and even foreign TV shows, Quezon Province’s most famous festival brings thousands of people to the rustic yet cool town in the foothills of Mount Banahaw, Lucban.
For the record, perstaym ko po pumunta dito! Nope, di lang Pahiyas, pati na rin pagpunta sa Lucban! Yes, nakarating na ako sa bayan ng Pahiyas, longanisa, pansit habhab at ang sagot sa vodka ng mga Tagalog, ang lambanog!
Pancit Habhab at Lucban...Served Hot with a smile!
Well, what do you know. I came up here for two things: The fiesta and the food. In every fiesta in this country, food is always associated–and it means a whole lot of it. When I was at Lucban, although I wasn’t able to go house-hopping for food, the streets of this quaint Quezon town is a feast of gastronomic proportions. Yup, its beyond your usual delicious chorizo, if you know what I mean. There were three things that made my tummy satisfied all throughout the day in Lucban during the Pahiyas.
To Lucban!
Well, I guess I was excited back then. It was my first time going to Lucban for Pahiyas Festival. The feast that I could only see on telly or on books. I’ve seen Sinulog, Dinagyang and Masskara for countless times already but this crowning jewel of Quezon Province’s feasts is something that I would look forward into. Such colourful and attractive feast has made me like a bee, attracted to the colour of the kipings and revelry. It was my first time going there and I’ll be commuting. May 15 is a notorious date to any commuter or motorist going south, as horrific stories of traffic jams linger. But I dared!
Which is which?
I called in the Quezon Provincial Tourism Office and sought advise on what’s the best route going to Lucban. My friends from Quezon and the tourism people have a unanimous answer: Go Laguna-Pagsanjan instead!
Here’s why:
