The Los Indios Bravos motley gang of artists, activists, designers and musicians will always remember Adrian Cristobal as the Lucban native who never forgot his roots. In the late 1960s, when he was one of the brilliant writers of the besieged administration, he always took time out to promote his hometown’s unique tradition—the Pahiyas Festival in honor of San Isidro Labrador.

With poet Virgie Moreno herding the brood, we traveled to Lucban from Malate at the break of dawn, still wearing yesterday’s clothes and sipping the last of last night’s beer. Jun Lansang recited his new poems, and we all sang popular country songs with whichever folk singer we picked up from Los Indios Bravos.

The 117-kilometer ride took hours on the old asphalted national road. The bumpy, uncomfortable four-hour journey made sleep possible only for the very drunk. Fortunately, Adrian provided us with an air-conditioned tourist bus, which made the ordeal bearable.

As our bus entered the town, we felt that time had stood still. There, before us, was the moss-covered Saint Louis Bishop Parish Church, also known as the San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Parish Church, originally built in 1738. Though it is the proposed Diocesan Shrine of San Isidro Labrador, it is commonly known as Lucban Church.

The church mirrors the Baroque design. It has a three-story facade. The second level features semicircular windows flanked by Corinthian columns and niches containing statues of saints. The church also has an octagonal, three-story bell tower standing on a square base.

Photographer Romy Vitug jumped out of the bus to explore the church. The driver decided it was a good place to park since the Cristobal ancestral home was only a short way away, on a narrow street where the bus could not park. Joining Romy were feature writers Bibsy Carballo and Margot Baterina.

At mid-morning, the whole town was buzzing with activity. Young and old—everyone—was occupied with dressing up their homes with fruits, flowers, vegetables and whatever else could evoke bountiful harvests.

The air was alive with music from brass bands marching through the town. Local and foreign tourists jostled to take the most colorful shots of the decorated homes, whose residents invited total strangers to lunch with the family.

Fifteen years later, I went back to Lucban to share the Pahiyas experience with my husband and five kids. We drove the station wagon all the way to Lucena on May 14, Pahiyas Eve, and checked into a modest hotel. Lunch at a fishpond eatery was fresh and inexpensive. The fish market was educational. The variety of seafood was awesome.

At the dry goods section of the public market, we purchased souvenirs for friends and relatives: fans and bags made of buri and anahaw, woven hats, dried fish, polvoron, puto seko and Pahiyas T-shirts. They were at least 30 percent cheaper than at the festival stalls.

Smiles, kisses and hugs were everywhere one looked, as the procession for San Isidro wound through the town. There is an annual contest for the best home, but it is a difficult task to be a judge.

We all joined the procession, stopping briefly in front of likely winners. Along the way, we saw TV cameramen struggling to move with the throng while balancing their gear. Locals assisted them pro bono. It was after sunset when we decided to leave the procession. It did not matter which house won; they were all winners as far as we were concerned.

Lucban’s authentic fiesta fare was set before us for dinner. Our main course was Kinulob na Kalabaw, a pot roast-type stew of carabao meat. I told the kids that there used to be a law banning the consumption and sale of carabao meat. They observed that it tastes like aged beef.

We were also served Hardinera, made of ground chicken cooked with diced vegetables and steamed in an oval mold. Held together by beaten eggs, the molded dish is steamed and served unmolded, showing off carved veggies and sliced hard-boiled egg designs. It is a favorite of guests, who often go home with several Hardinera molds for the folks back in the city.

The fish dish was Kulawo, tilapia cooked in coconut milk. What makes Kulawo different is that the grated coconut is roasted over coal before the milk is squeezed out, giving the dish a flavor all its own. The Muslims of Mindanao do something similar, but they burn the coconut meat with the shell, resulting in a blackened gravy, as in Tyula Itum.

The family loved the tiny Langonisang Lucban, spiced with pimenton, which colored the garlicky sausages.

The Pahiyas Festival is something the entire family should experience together—for memories that will last a lifetime and beyond. My own kids are parents now, and they plan to attend the Pahiyas Festival with their children to make priceless memories of their own.