The Town of Lucban set again another crowd drawing colorful spectacle with its renowned Pahiyas Festival. Made iconic with its iconic decorated houses from Kiping, a colorful rice wafer, and other harvest bounties and a festival event graced our primary school textbooks, the festival is poised to receive about 4-5 million guests. According to Ms. Maria Jenifer Babat, Lucban Municipal Tourism Officer, there are 626 official participants who joined the house decorating segment alone. The champion would take home Php200,000 cash prize sponsored by Buddy’s Restaurant, a homegrown restaurant featuring the town’s specialties like the Longganisang Lucban and Pancit Habhab.
The festival activities also include a colorful civic Parade that features gigantic papier mache puppets, a float parade, and street dance contingents. The parade itself garnered a tightly packed crowd along the town’s alleyways. Additionally, the Lucban town had a successful attempt to have the longest “hab-haban” with about 3-4 thousand participants.
Lucban is naturally blessed with more rain episodes despite the hot dry season and harvests are not gravely affected according to Ms. Babat hence, evident with the grand and highly intricately designed dwellings. The Municipal Tourism Officer expressed her gratitude to all the sponsors that made the Pahiyas Festival successful.
Other festival segments include Arko-Rikit Pahiyas where participating barangays executive their executive flair through welcome arches, adventure run kick-off, moto-tourism kick-off, public art mural contest, agri tourism bazaar, farmer’s thanksgiving ritual, pageant night, a local talent show, a cook-off contest, a kneeling carabao parade, battle of the bands, art fair, pet parade, a unique fashion show using indigenous materials, and sponsors’ night featuring celebrity guests that surely delighted the Lucbanins and their valued guests.
The festival was graced by Senator Imee Marcos who personally visited the iconic decorated homes. The good senator is received by Quezon Province Governor Helen, Congressman Mark Envarga, the Lucban Mayor Agustin “Tenten” Villaverde, and Vice Mayor Arnel “Kaka” Abcede. Also present during the Main Pahiyas Festivities are the Quezon Province Tourism Officer, Nesler Almagro, Bulacan Provincial Tourism Officer, Dr. Eliseo S. Dela Cruz, Lumban Tourism Officer, Mr. Jaysan Lagrada, and Mabalacat City Tourism Officer, Mr. Arwin Lingat, and media personalities plus many more.
Our heartfelt thanks to the Department of Tourism – CALABARZON Office through Regional Director Ms. Marites Castro, and Sir Keneth de Gracia for allowing us to experience this colorful festival.
MORE PHOTOS taken during May 15, 2024.
