Blogs from Quezon, Philippines, Asia - page 2

Pahiyas It's a Filipino word for "decor". And in Lucban Quezon, this is a very important event that people are looking forward to. Lucky me I had the chance to witness this event last May 15, 2009. I've always heard stories about the Pahiyas festival and how grand the celebration is but only until 2009 did I experienced this event. Tropang PG traveled to Lucena on the dawn of May 15. It was just a 3-hour drive fromPasay. Upon reaching the Lucena Grand Terminal, we boarded a jeep going to Lucban. With all our backpacks, everyone is excited to witness the decorations along the streets. As soon as we reached the place, we looked for a nearby restaurant where we can have our breakfast. We tried the lucban longanisa – quite good but nothing special ... read more

Every May 15th, the residents of Lucban, Quezon celebrate the Pahiyas (meaning "decor") Festival in honor of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers. Thin rice wafers locally called "kiping" are made in varying colors and shaped like leaves to decorate the facades of houses along with farm harvests such as tomatoes, stringbeans, pineapples, cucumbers, sayote, coconuts, ferns, as well as agriculture-based products such as ropes, hats, bags, etc. Kipings come in festive colors like yellow, pink, red, orange and green. Creativity flourishes in this part of the country, especially during this one-day festival celebration in thanksgiving for bountiful harvests. Amazing how local folks are able to create chandeliers called 'aranyas' made of kiping and how one's family endeavor to work together to showcase the f... read more

Even if one is born with an uncanny ability to twist the head around, checking on the back of the head is nearly impossible to do without using external help from, let's say, a mirror. Despite its nearness, the eyes often miss out on a number of simple yet obscure pleasures that can enhance appreciation of one's self -- like how the hair glows with each golden ray of sunshine, or how a ribbon dances with every sway of hair strands, or how that haircut perfectly hides unflattering balding spots. A lot of people set their sights too far in search for something new, fascinating, exciting, or spectacular that they fail to see what nearby areas have to offer. Such is the fate of the Polilio Group of Islands, which is known among biologists and conservationists ... read more

Pahiyas Festival is a colorful feast in honor of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saints of farmers, as a thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest.... read more

My parents have been asking to see photos so I will just write briefly about my trip. Spent a week in Pagbilao/Lucena to see family. I ate way too much as usual, but managed to eat everything I wanted thanks to Tita Menchie. I spent a lot of time with my lola and got her a lot of presents. I think her favorite was the hot water bottle. I'll have to get her different covers for it while I can get them here in Japan. I had my students write her and Tita Menchie Christmas cards and Lola loved them. She read through almost all of them. Not much else to report really...went to church twice and haven't been to confession in ages so I wasn't allowed to receive communion. I saw my cousin, Marie Chedd ... read more