To celebrate what the town is known for, Paet Taka Festival was created. Paet (Chisel) Taka (paper mache). Paete, Laguna - Paet Taka Festival
The name of Paete is derived from the Tagalog word paet, which means chisel. The proper pronunciation of the town's name is believed to be "Pa-e-te", but the natives call it Pī-té, long i, short guttural ê, sound at the end. The town's residents use the first mentioned pronunciation rather than the second only when conversing with non-residents. The town was referred to as "Piety" by the American Maryknoll Missioners when they came to the town in the late 1950s.
The town has had a long reputation for its craftsmen highly skilled in wood carving and its embellishment. In 1887, José Rizal described Paete as a town where "carpenter shops" were issuing images "even those more rudely carved" (chapter VI, Noli Me Tangere). Even now, its inhabitants (called Paeteños
or Paetenians) continue with their centuries-old tradition in carving
and painting. Its statues, pulpits, murals and bas relief are found in
churches, palaces and museums all over the world, including the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York,
the Mission Dolorosa in San Francisco, the San Cayetano Church in
Mexico, the St. Joseph's shrine in Sta. Cruz, California, various
churches in the Philippines and the Ayala Museum in Makati, Philippines.
The official town hero is not a statesman nor a soldier but a woodcarver, the master artisan Mariano Madriñan, whose obra maestra,
the lifelike Mater Dolorosa, was honored by the King of Spain with a
prestigious award in Amsterdam in 1882. The town was proclaimed "the
Carving Capital of the Philippines" on March 15, 2005 by Philippine
President Arroyo. It is also believed that the modern yo-yo, which originated in the Philippines, was invented in Paete.
Many descendants of these artisans have found a niche in the culinary world. Ice sculptures and fruit and vegetable carvings done by Paeteños
abound on buffet tables of cruise ships and world-class hotels and
restaurants. Today the town thrives mainly on the sale and export of
woodcarvings and taka (papier maché), tourism, poultry industry, farming and fishing.
The town, is located at the north-eastern part of Laguna, along the shores of picturesque Laguna de Bay. It was founded in 1580 by Spanish friars Juan de Plasencia and Diego de Oropesa of the Franciscan Order. It is believed that the earliest inhabitants were of Malay lineage, coming all the way from Borneo in their swift and sturdy boats called "Balangay".Paete, Laguna - Paet Taka Festival
