By Philippine News Agency With barely three weeks to go, preparations for the annual “Pahimis” thanksgiving festival in this “coffee capital of the Philippines” have shifted to high gear. Amadeo tourism officer Jam Tibayan said Wednesday the festivities on April 25-27 will include the traditional float parade, search for the “Coffee Queen” or the “Mutya ng Pahimis”, coffee talk and demonstrations, and the unique coffee dance fitness marathon. There will also be a thanksgiving mass, job fair, presentation of the award for the most outstanding coffee farmer, local food/delicacies, opening of trade fair, and a variety show to entertain revelers. Tibayan said festival organizers are also set to promote the coffee fest with pre-event activities at Cavite’s provincial capital city of Trece Martires on April 18-20 and 22. These include a coffee exhibit, on-the-spot painting contest (using coffee as medium), coffee “wearables”, and a cooking demonstration. The annual “Pahimis” aims to promote Cavite coffee for domestic and worldwide consumption, revive farmers’ interest in coffee farming, enhance coffee yields, and attain a competitive coffee price in the world market. The celebration also seeks to promote the town’s agri-tourism offerings, with coffee as the main showcase. To help promote its agri-tourism sites, the “Pahimis” will feature a farm tour on Day 1 of the event. “Pahimis” -- Amadeo’s word for “pasasalamat” (thanksgiving) -- traces its origins to when coffee farmers gave away their last can of harvest as a thanksgiving offering in the belief that this would bring good luck and abundance during the next harvest season. The town of Amadeo boasts of 4,508 hectares of coffee farmland, the largest land area devoted to coffee farming in the entire upland of Cavite, making it the province’s biggest coffee producer.