What’s in Lucena?

The contingent from the Department of Education

Discovering ‘chami,’ ‘tinapa’ and many other things at Pasayahan sa Lucena

If you keep your eyes open, you will discover several things by watching a parade, especially in festivals where spectacles are now imbued with local culture. In Lucena City, recently, locals displayed and extolled the tinapa or smoked fish in colorful floats, extravagant costumes and lively dances during the Pasayahan sa Lucena. It is something many do not know.

The capital of the province of Quezon, known for the cultivation of coconuts and many coconut products, has always taken pride in their pansit chami, egg noodles sautéed with soy sauce, pork and vegetables. There was once a festival dedicated to it. Now, it is one of the images of cultural identity in the Tagalog city, about 160 kilometers south of Metro Manila. Now, the tinapa, usually made from tunsoy (sardine) and galunggong (mackerel scad) is being promoted, together with chami, to enliven the local industry, uplifting this once humble food item.

Held in the last week of May, the Pasayahan sa Lucena stemmed from the desire to have their own vehicle to engender pride for and to promote the place, and the traditional feast day of its patron, Saint Ferdinand. Thus, the festival culminates on May 30.

Pasayahan, a Tagalog word for “merry-making,” started in 1987 as a three-day event. Now, it is held all week long, with numerous activities similar to modern festivals in many parts of the country. The highlight is the grand parade on May 28, going through the city’s major thoroughfares.

This year, the parade had several components, which were competitions—floats, street dancing, Carnival Queen in thematic costume, and hat or pandong—all reflecting aspects of local culture.

At the start of the parade was the Carnival Queen portion, where transgender women and gay men were afforded stellar participation in the festivities, a drag segment to showcase ostentatious costumes.

Rhaine Marie Barredo as Queen of the Jungle, besting 13 other contestants, was declared champion for her leopard-print costume finished with a large skirt adorned with gardens and forests and a trail of a tree. First runner-up Barbie Ramirez as Queen of Peacock, covered in brightly-colored feathers, sported wings, designed by Joanne Mendoza, while second runner-up Athena Solenn Barretto as Queen of Flowers was surrounded by gigantic flowers, inspired by the Flores de Mayo tradition.

Less spectacular was the Pasayahan Pandong Contest, where contingents wore creative hats. The winning hat of the Department of Education Lucena City division had many elements symbolizing traits and ideals. The bithay, used for storing the tinapa, represented prosperity, while the buri threads represented the pansit chami, a local source of culinary pride. The abaniko symbolizes the joy of the Pasayahan, and the sinamay symbolizes unity.

There were 11 floats, mostly from local businesses and associations, in the parade. The float of Rotary International District 3820, the second runner-up, was ostensibly adorned with tinapa and chami, while the float of Raquel Panshop, the first runner-up, was colorful with flowers, as well as representations of local industries. The grand winner, the Bioderm Family Germicidal Soap float, impressed with a big replica of the balangay, an ancient Philippine plank boat, to emphasize “early Filipino craftsmanship.”

Eleven street dancing contingents, from barangays, schools and agencies, converged in front of SM City Lucena for a grand showdown. The performances of the second runner-up, the Sacred Heart College Dance Troupe; the first runner-up, the barangay of Gulang-Gulang; and the grand winner, from the Dalubhasaan ng Lungsod ng Lucena, underscored the tinapa and the chami as their culinary treasures, affirmed a devotion to Saint Ferdinand, and expressed an aspiration for a bright future for the city. With flashy costumes, props and movements, they summed up what Lucena City is about but still encouraged further discovery.

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