Unveiling the Mystical Lucban Pahiyas Festival

This is an ethnographic study which described the local knowledge of the Lucbanin on Pahiyas. The generation of information on the local knowledge as described by the Lucbanin unfolded the natives‘ meanings in celebrating Philippine festivities such as Pahiyas Festival. Further, their cultural practices and beliefs, handed down from generation to generation served as contributory factors in the acquisition of local knowledge on Pahiyas, revealing its priceless and transcendent beauty. Triangulation was used in the study to analyze and interpret field notes based on participant observations, interviews and document/s analyses. Theme analysis was conducted concurrently with data gathering. Coding was used to classify and identify emerging themes/categories which provided extensive analysis of the data. Results revealed that oral traditions played significant contributions in the acquisition of local knowledge of the Lucbanins in the preparations and celebration of Pahiyas Festival .Oral traditions coupled with direct and participants’ observations, formal and informal education as well as folklore served as mystical instruments in the preservation and promotion of Lucbanins’ cultural and spiritual values and beliefs, keeping Pahiyas Festival as a moving and dynamic legacy throughout the years. The role of oral traditions as rooted in Lucbanins’ local history is a symbol of a true and genuine Lucbanin, entirely different from other locals in the country.

Keywords –Pahiyas Festival, ethnography, triangulation, participant observations, theme analysis