The merry month of May is the most fiesta-riddled season with religious feasts happening daily, with the pomp and pageantry of the Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan adding vibrance to the annual traditions.
The province of Quezon gives travelers and culture vultures the unique opportunity to go through a fiesta-hopping circuit which will take you to a consummate experience of faith, food, fun and everything in between.
The adjoining Tayabas City, Lucban and Gumaca take pride in some of the few authentic centuries-old festivals which are deeply-rooted in the people’s way of life, with their shared devotion to San Isidro Labrador. Every May 15, these towns celebrate their own variant of the feast which pays homage to the patron saint of farmers for a bountiful harvest for the previous year.
Foremost among these festivals is Pahiyas of Lucban, arguably the most sought-after because of the houses and buildings which are jazzed up with the colorful kiping rice flakes and agricultural produce. This iconic feast has graced countless tourism posters, calendars and postcards which have been passed around long before the advent of the internet and social media.
On top of the kaleidoscopic street displays, the town’s bucolic allure, Old World charm, and the warm people will keep you coming back even without the ornate adornments. Dubbed as Quezon’s “summer capital”, it boasts of a relatively cool weather because of its altitude and lush vegetation being at the foot of the majestic Mt. Banahaw.
The town is also dotted with spring resorts, heritage and religious structures, and farm tourism sites, most notably Bukid Amara which is known for its flower gardens, greenhouses where they raise new varieties of melons, and fish ponds where families can go fishing and grill their catch.
Tayabas, the colonial-era capital of the province which also had the same name, has the Mayohan Festival whose highlight is the “hagisan ng suman” where thousands of the sticky rice cake are thrown out of the windows for the local folks and guests to catch in the spirit of community fun.
In the recent fest held last May 15, the city government literally threw away some 12,000 pieces of the suman to the throng which is just overjoyed to see the events return to normalcy.
This year’s Mayohan is also special as it hosted the Traveling Museum series of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) where some 150 artifacts of the cultural theme park are displayed at the Casa Comunidad de Tayabas, the city’s heritage house and socio-civic center. The exhibit which runs until June 15, dubbed as “Masaganang Ani” showcases the country’s bountiful harvest by presenting agricultural artifacts from various ethnolinguistic groups under the care of the NPF.
Declared a component city of Quezon in 2007, it blends modern comforts and vestiges of a checkered past. On a typical day, tourists visit the St. Michael the Archangel Minor Basilica which has one of the longest church aisles in the country, and Malagonlong Bridge, the longest existing Spanish-era bridge with a 136-meter length, and 10-meters height.
Tayabas also takes pride in being the epicenter of an uprising in the mid-1800s led by Apolinario dela Cruz of Hermanong Pule who founded a religious fraternity to counter the discrimination by Spaniards on Filipino lay people.
The city is also gaining popularity as a gastronomy hub with its quaint home-grown dining outlets which serve regional food and beverage, and take-aways such as the sweet yema cake and the lambanog coconut palm liquor.
One of the lesser-known but equally festivals is Araña’t Baluarte of Gumaca, which is inspired by the araña (chandelier) of fruits and vegetables and the baluarte or native arch, which is also adorned by agricultural produce.
The most-awaited moment is the “agawan” portion after the Fiesta Mass and procession of the image of San Isidro Labrador, where the crowd try to grab the hanging fruits and vegetables as they are lowered, which is similar to the good old “pabitin” in a children’s party.
A bustling roadside town along the Maharlika Highway, its allure often slips the sight of travelers en route to the Bicol region, the Visayas or Mindanao, or simply made a meal stop at best.
But if you got time to spare, take a quick swing around the heritage lane to get a feel of Gumaca’s checkered past—the San Diego de Alcala Cathedral, the castillo or Spanish coastal fortress, the scenic baywalk promenade, and the municipal museum which houses art works and memorabilia of the community’s gentry.
The first post-pandemic festivities since 2020, Pahiyas, Mayohan and Araña’t Baluarte relived the vibe which locals and tourists have missed in the past three years: trade booths of local crafts and souvenirs, food stalls of native delicacies, the hospitable townsfolk welcoming visitors and strangers in their homes, and the religious rituals which mirror the faith and devotion of the locals.
With the huge turnout in all festivals, the people of Quezon can only look forward to more exciting days for the tourism industry beyond the fiestas.
Image credits: Bernard L. Supetran
