A Visit to Kamay ni Hesus Shrine

Before we we attended Pahiyas Festival on the town proper of Lucban, we went to Kamay ni Hesus first to visit the place. We were already walking the road there since the traffic was very very heavy and we are not moving anymore. It was just a 10-15 minute walk from the area we stopped.

The place is crowded with people at that time. It was mainly because people also go here before or after going to the Pahiyas. It is a large place where there are a lot of life size statues of saints and a hill, where there is an image of the risen Christ on top. You need to go up 300 plus steps just to reach it. At its bottom stands the church where, at that time, a mass was being celebrated.

Pahiyas Festival Weekend

It was another hot weekend and I woke up early to meet my usual trekking group for a different kind of adventure. It is May 15 and in Lucban, Quezon, this means that it is time for the Pahiyas Festival.

The Pahiyas Festival is an annual celebration of the feast of San Isidro Labrador (St. Isidore), the Patron Saint of the farmers and of good harvest. Traditionally, they decorate their houses with their harvest. The kiping is one of the most famous decor they have. It is made of ground malagkit rice and shaped into leaves in different colors. The people there use these to create pretty and colorful decorations that they hang in front of their houses.