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!
Information Credits: Sariaya.net
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