Luisiana, Laguna’s Pandan Festival
Luisiana, Laguana’s Pandan Festival is celebrated yearly. It is a week
long celebration that coincides with Luisiana’s Independence Day, which
falls on every 3rd of April. During the festivities various activities
can be witnessed. Parade, search for Binibini and Ginoong Luisiana and the Gayakang Bayan are the most anticipated activities during this celebration.
The Pandan Festival showcases various
products and items made of pandan produced by Luisiana. With the
abundant pandan trees in Luisiana and with the talented and artistic
weavers, unlimited type of products can be made.
Gayakang Bayan: This
activity is probably the most attractive of all the festivities. Is
showcases creativity and artistry of Luisianians. It is during this
activity the houses are decorated with colorful and creative pandan
items. The process of decorating and preparing the items can take few
weeks or may be more, depends on the complication of the design. An
award is given to the participating house that excel in this activity.
Luisiana, Laguna - Pandan Festival
Luisiana is a fourth class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 20,148 people. Locals call the town 'Little Baguio of Laguna' because of its high elevation and cooler climate like the City of Baguio.
109 kilometres (68 mi) away from Manila and 22 kilometres (14 mi) away from the provincial capital, Santa Crúz, the town of Luisiana is bounded on the north by Pagsánjan and Cavinti, on the west by Magdalena and Majayjay, on the south by Lucban, Quezon, and Sampaloc in the east.
Luisiana occupies 8,096.33 hectares (20,006.5 acres) on a plateau 1,400 feet (430 m) atop the Sierra Madre mountains.
At the centre of the town, some of the sites are the Roman Catholic Church, the monument of Don Luis Bernárdo (town’s founder) and a monument of Dr. José Protacio Rizal.
But one interesting site in town is the "guard dogs" at the stairs in front of the municipal building. Instead of lions which are common sites or designs in stairs of other buildings, the municipal building of Luisiana has two dogs, which look like Dalmatians, one in each side of the building. However, no one can tell why they are there or what is the story behind the presence of the dogs in the building. Some of them believe that the dogs might have been a part of the town’s history which is yet to be discovered.
Aside from the man-made attractions, Luisiana is also home to natural attractions like falls (such as Hulugan[ Bumbóngan, Malaog, Maapon, Limbun-limbón, Aliw, Lagaslás and Botocán-Tiklingan) and caves (such as the caves of Simbahang Bato and Butás Kabag). Although most of these attractions are not yet fully developed commercially, they are open for the public to see in their natural state.
Town feast is celebrated on October 9 for the feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Another celebration in town is held every 3 April, which is in commemoration of the town’s establishment as a separate entity from Majáyjay.
Luisiana, Laguna - Pandan Festival