Mayo Quince: Queen of Fiestas

An oft-heard echo from my childhood: If you're a Filipino, there's a feast every day of the calendar.

I don't know if that's accurate. What I know for sure is May is the month of fiestas, and for us here in Quezon--there's no day more festive than May 15.

May 15 is the day that the Catholic Church set aside to honor St. Isidore, patron saint of agriculture. For an agricultural area like Quezon and its farmers, the saint looms large as companion to pray with for a good harvest. Thus, the common theme for many of the feasts that we celebrate in Quezon for on this day is a lavish display of agricultural produce: bananas, rice, coconuts, and other vegetables and fruits abound. They are displayed on houses and sometimes given away, in thanksgiving for a the bounty of the land.

This year, The Gentleman Farmer spent May 15 in Sariaya, Quezon, where they celebrate the Agawan Festival. The event is named for the custom of 'agawan' or competing to grab goodies tied on tall bamboo sticks along the roads that the parade honoring St. Isidore passed.
Those goodies are up for grabs during the Agawan Festival in Sariaya, Quezon. (Photo by The Gentleman Farmer)

Photo by The Gentleman Farmer

Photo by The Gentleman Farmer
Check out more photos from this post.

Other Quezon festivals on this day: the famous Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Arana't Baluarte in Gumaza, Hagisan ng Suman in Tayabas, and Pabitin Festival in Catanauan.

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