TAYABAS, Quezon — It's 3 p.m. and the throngs of mostly males did not mind the heat and sweaty bodies beside them as they trail the image of the revered San Isidro Labrador making his way around the city proper as he is carried by devotees.
As the crowd approaches an establishment trailing the image of the saint, they stop and chant "hagis." They are obliged. Residents and the people from balconies of their houses or establishments throw (hagis) suman (rice cake wrapped in buri leaves), agricultural produce, and even money, to the glee of the crowd who will end up squabbling to get a piece of any of these bounties.
"Mga Tayabasin, after dumaan ni San Isidro, doon pa lang mag-start ng paghahagis. Doon ka pa lang maghahagis," said Keissy Palma Rayel, Vice Chair of Oplan Sagip Tulay Tayabas Heritage Group to Philstar.com.
"Bilang pasasalamat sa masaganang ani at masaganang mga agrikulturang produkto. In return, ibinabahagi 'yung mga masaganang ani na 'yun sa mga Tayabasin kaya 'yung mga one of the highlights of the festival is the Hagisan ng Suman, which is made of kaning malagkit (sticky rice)," she added. Apart from the annual festival, Tayabas also features more Spanish era bridges which the group are passionate about preserving and raising awareness of their relevance to the history of the city.
At the old city hall near the centuries-old bahay na bato Casa de Comunidad de Tayabas, around 11,000 pieces of suman were made and given to the crowd. Bills ranging from the smallest to P1,000 were also seen slowly flying out of the balcony while the crowd is excited to get hold of the most valued paper.
Walking along the path where procession passed by, soles, suman and even a piece of a pair of footwear are commonly seen.
Hagisan ng Suman is one of the anticipated events of the annual Mayohan Festival of Tayabas City, Quezon. The festival is one of the festivals held every May 15 in celebration of the feast of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of peasants, farmers and agricultural workers.
Check out this gallery from the Mayohan sa Tayabas Festival:
WATCH: The crowd at the Hagisan ng Suman at the Mayohan sa Tayabas 2023
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