This celebration in honor of “ San Isidro De Labrador “, the Spanish patron saint of farmers, one so old that not one alive today knows when and how it started, is the primary tourist attraction in Sariaya, which is being promoted by the Department of Tourism . The ‘” Bagakays “, an identifiably “ Sariayahin “ feature of the festival, are young bamboo trees cut and bedecked with a variety of goodies that form a gently swaying beautiful and bountiful canopy along the well decorated route of the saint’s afternoon procession.

On May 14th, the townspeople select the best produce which they artfully and painstakingly decorate into their houses like ……. “ Aranyas “ or bamboo chandeliers adorned with palay and rice stalks, Suman, string beans and luscious green mangoes, “ fences “ of sugar cane and coconuts with chains of orange betel nuts as colorful accents, “ pillars “ of green and yellow banana bunches, “ curtains “ and “ draperies “ of “ Pastillas “ or milk candies wrapped in colorful cellophanes and Japanese papers, “ Baluartes “ or archs of eggplants and gourd veggies like ‘ Upo “, “ Patola “ and “ Ampalaya “, mouth-watering succulent “ Lechon “ and golden brown roast chickens preening at the windows, and the like!

The hectic preparations that drag into the wee hours of the morning on the 15th , particularly the raising of the bountiful ‘ Bagakays “ on both sides of the streets, give off a sense of exhilaration to the busy house owners, and wonder to the roaming visitors alike! The early morning parade on the feast day itself never fails to elicit a sense of anticipation and excitement, what with the splash of color, folk artistry and fanfare for all to see! Features of the parade vary every year, from floats adorned with fresh farm produce pulled by carabaos and horses to those that feature beautiful ladies serving as the “ Mutya “ of each Barangay, donned in Filipiniana and indigenous wear embellished with products representative of their locale’s livelihood. Any how, what is very evident is the active participation of all sectors of Sariayahin society who are just too eager to be part of this eventful undertaking.

At the end of the parade will be the “ Mga Taong Bagakay “ or ‘ Mtb ‘, human depictions of the beautifully bedecked, bountiful bamboo tree canopy, artfully garbed in Sariaya produce and products as the coconut-ty “ Mga Taong Niyog ‘ and the very colorful “ Mga Taong Pastillas “ for example. They will street dance their way around town in a contest of innovative costume design, artistic choreography, youthful energy and patient endurance!

After the afternoon mass in its honor, the antique image of San Isidro De Labrador, garbed in his familiar sky blue robe with shiny trimmings, atop its equally silver-plated ‘ carroza ‘ comes out of the church into a joyous procession amidst the explosion of firecrackers! People cannot contain themselves with excitement as they never tire of eagerly awaiting what is supposed to be the most dynamic and action-filled religious celebration these parts, year after year after year! As the image of the “ Poong San Isidro “ passes by, all the pent up energies are let loose like a dam suddenly opened to release excess water. Sack-bearing revelers positioned behind the icon suddenly grab at the bountiful decors within reach……Banana and coconut bunches, sugarcanes, commercial goodies, practically everything in sight, while eager and equally excited house owners rip off at their bountiful decorations, carefully thought of, artfully designed and painstakingly crafted the day or even days before. In a frenzied spirit of unbridled, good natured fun, they throw them at the electrified crowd …….fruits, vegetables, fans, hats, umbrellas, native slippers, bags, clothes, money, bread, rice in small plastic bags, and everything imagined and unimaginable, like native chickens at times! Blessings as such rain like Mannah from Heaven, and as if these weren’t enough, the “ Bagakays “ are scrambled upon by the men folk, broken in a frenzy of jumping and tugging, and let loose to fall on the already ensuing grab fest or “ Halbutan “ as the Sariayahins traditionally call it! Each is now on his/her own, pleading-shouting-even outrageously climbing fences just to get their treasured ‘ loot ‘ to safety, away from countless eager competitors, while alertly dodging falling debris like broken “ Upo “, bunches of Indian mangoes, and the ultimate, ‘ Sangkalans ‘ or wooden chopping boards hanging precariously from a Bagakay put up by a meat shop owner, No Kidding! And the ultimate wonder is that with all of these, not one has died or suffered from severe injuries as far back as town folks can remember, and minor cuts and scratches were merely dismissed off with an amused shrug, sweat-soaked and all!

As crazy as the “ La Tomatina “ of Bunol, Spain and the equally raucuous “ Orange Festival “ of Northern Italy, this very Sariayahin fiesta is by all means the most expressive and expressed form of hospitality, giving and sharing by a townspeople in the whole world, even in today’s very hard times. And the visitors, who are either awestruck first timers, or seasoned veterans who never tire of returning to Sariaya at this time of year truly agree! YES, it is a ‘ Controlled Chaos ‘, a ‘ Saintly Banditry ‘, the one and only ‘ Happy Pandemonium ‘ , aptly put!

What makes Christmas in Sariaya, Quezon totally different from the rest nowadays? The Belen Festival!

Started by the Sariaya Tourism Council (STC) in 2005, this festival is centered on the birth of Jesus Christ in a simple manger during the first Christmas, symbolized by the humble Belen, that miniature depiction of the Nativity Scene which is the traditional Christmas decoration in Filipino homes since Hispanic colonial times. What makes it even more Sariayahin is that the town’s medieval Patron Saint, St. Francis of Assisi, was the first to institutionalize the Belen as part of his three devotions to the Catholic faith, the other two being the Eucharist and the Crucified Christ.

Designed to spruce up the town park for the holidays, the Belen Festival runs from December 15th to the 23rd, coinciding with the recent nine-day evening SIMBANG GABI, as opposed to the traditional dawn mass or the Misa De Gallo, from December 16th to the 24th.

The main attraction are the life size Belens, artfully crafted mostly from indigenous materials that abound Sariaya, competing for cash prizes (First Prize – P50,000 , Second prize – P30,000 and Third Prize – P20,000) plus consolation prizes. They remain on exhibit at the town park for everyone to behold and appreciate until December 27th. The festival also features Christmas inspired production numbers at a designated area on the exhibit grounds, participated in by different sets of performers, mostly from Sariaya’s schools,, as well as Church (Catholic and otherwise) and Socio-Civic organizations. These performances effectively highlight the inherent creativity and talent of the Sariayahins while encouraging the people, still fresh from the Simbang Gabi to come to the park and feel the Christmas spirit. Enterprising Sariayahins are likewise invited to sell their equally Christmas Season inspired wares (Puto Bumbong, Bibingka, Maruya, even Kapeng Barako, etcetera) at designated areas, in a well organized and sanitary manner. A Pundohan or receiving area for the guests was likewise provided which also served as the command post for the Sariaya Tourism Council.

Belen Festival 2005

The Opening of the very first Belen Festival was graced by Sariaya Mayor Concepcion C. Doromal and Calabarzon Department of Tourism Regional Director Louella C. Jurilla, who was the Guest of Honor, assisted by Stc President Rev. Fr. Andrew S. Hernandez. It featured a novel rite called the “Paghahasik Ng Mga Butil”, a symbolic planting of seven different kinds of grains in pots provided for the first seven Belens joining the contest that heralded the birth of a new and significant Sariayahin tradition. Featured at the STC Pundohan was a mini exhibit of photo reproductions of Pre War Old Sariaya photographs that caught everybody’s fancy.

Belen Festival 2006

The opening of the 2nd Belen Festival was highlighted by the launching of “Larawan”, a unique fund raising campaign of the Sariaya Tourism Council where a limited edition of framed and glass -covered Aerial View Photographs Of Sariaya were exhibited for sale. The proceeds will go to the various projects of the STC in line with its one-year Plan of Activities for Sariaya Tourism promotion. Among those who provided production numbers was Ms. Maureen “Mau” Marcelo, ABC 5’s First Philippine Idol who hails from Lucena City. A big native-inspired Christmas tree was placed at the center of the Belen Exhibit area to add more Christmas-sy atmosphere to the festival.

Plans are being undertaken by the Sariaya Tourism Council for a bigger, brighter and much better Belen Festival 2007, and beyond. Come and visit Sariaya, Quezon from December 15 – 23, 2007 and experience the true spirit and joy of this one-of-a-kind Sariayahin Christmas!