Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Ang Pinakamagandang Bahay sa Balat ng Nayon

It is customary for the Pahiyas to hold competitions so that households will have an incentive to beautify their displays. Though you could see the design intentions of all the houses, there are a few that really went all the way in their decorations. Probably the most visited in this year's Pahiyas was a four-storey house about a few blocks from the church. I was told that the home-owner is also the proprietor of Lucban's famous chain of restaurants. The display was a paradox on its own, a juxtaposition of the big and the small.

The whole house facade was covered with pandan banig, probably from karagumoi which is abundant in the neighboring towns. The sunflower motiff, which is the identifying mark of the resto, was very prominent in the house decors. Large weaved pamaypays formed the ray-like petals of each sunflower. The building was adorned with these large sunflowers. Bamboo, tambo and the familiar kiping were shaped into trims, framing the woven banig and giant floral displays. To guard them, 2 pairs of 'higantes' were positioned flanking the building at both sides.

On the other side of the spectrum, miniature houses and other structures were lined in front of the display giants, depicting a typical Pahiyas scenery of adorned houses. The same artistry was exhibited in the detail of these miniatures, also using traditional materials. Interesting were the small kipings also adorning the small scale houses. Small kiping on small houses forming the decor of a large house with both miniature and grand displays - probably just what is needed to be called the best house in this year's festivities.

2 comments:

blogalag said...

lilliput transported to lucban, with mr & mrs gulliver, he he

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