Agawan Festival in Sariaya, Quezon Goes Viral for Using Money as Decorations
MONEY – Paper bills were used as unique decorations for the Agawan Festival in Sariaya, Quezon.
The Agawan Festival is a lively harvest festival held annually on May 15th in Sariaya, Quezon, Philippines. Saint Isidore the Laborer, the patron saint of agriculture and an abundant crop, is honored at this festival.
Agawan, sometimes called the “Happy Pandemonium,” is one of Quezon’s four harvest festivities. Rev. Fr. came up with the name “Agawan,” for the celebration. Former parish priest Raul Enriquez is the president of the Sariaya Tourism Council.
In 1999, Enriquez organized the town’s Quadricentennial celebration.
The main event is a colorful parade in which participants grab food and produce that is hanging from nearby houses or from a “pabitin,” a traditional hanging arrangement.
Locals toss money, fruits, and food into the crowd as the procession passes through the streets.
Residents use string beans to make window curtains and bright buntal hats to decorate their homes before the parade. Fences are decorated with banana plants, and the most common decoration, the “bagakay,” is made of young bamboo branches from which junk food, local specialties like “kiping,” fruits, sweets, and cash are hung.
The phrase “agawan,” which comes from the Tagalog word for “snatch,” describes the mad rush to get these treats during the celebration.
Recently, the Agawan Festival in Sariaya, Quezon went viral online for using paper bills as unique decorations for the celebration. Netizens couldn’t help but say “sana all” of what they have witnessed.
Instead of the usual colorful paper or plastic, one barangay used paper money as their decorations, called “pahiyas” or “banderitas.” Naturally, before the festival ended, visitors and residents eagerly grabbed the hanging money.
Putting up decorations during festivals is a long-standing Filipino tradition, symbolizing joy and celebration. In Sariaya, they used paper money as banderitas to express their gratitude for a prosperous and bountiful year.
In a previous post, a man dies of heart attack due to overwhelming joy after winning game during festival
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