SARIAYA IN QUEZON: A HERITAGE TOWN LIKE NO OTHER SARIAYA is simply unforgettable . . . . . . . The visual imprints of the past in this only Mount Banahaw town with a sea coast linger and cling to the senses . . . the 1748 St. Francis of Assisi parish church… the Art Deco Municipio… those elegant ancestral houses together with the still graceful ruins of some of them… the time - worn park monuments, and other equally old structures . . . However, it is the “Kuwentong Bayan” . . . those aurally absorbing and stimulating stories about Sariyahin folklore, legends, religious rituals, beliefs, food, and its people … molded in the oral tradition and animatedly dished out again and again by local residents in – the – know, in that peculiarly – inherent, musically - lilting brand of characteristic Tagalog, that give flesh and heart warming charm to them. Listen to unheard of stories like that of “Haring Ponse”, Sariaya’s King of the “Moro-Moro” stage comedy in the 1920s, better known for his uncanny predictions dished out in endlessly fascinating terms: “Lilipad ang barko!” ( “The ship will fly!” referring to the advent of the airplane), “Wawalisan ang kalsada!” (“The streets will be swept!” that foretold the concreting of the town’s then unpaved dirt roads), “Pag umunat ang sampalok, manliligaw ang babae sa lalaki!” (“When the curved tamarind fruit straightens, women will go after the men!”), “Pag nagsindi ng sigarilyo sa Maynila ay kita dine sa atin!” (“When somebody lights up a cigarette in Manila, it can be seen hereabouts!”, which was bewildering to the 1920s residents until the invention of television much, much later) . . . . . Imagine yourself … walking into the footsteps of the hardy original Sariayahins as they transferred their community’s location four times from the sea coast up the slopes of Mount Banahaw amid destructive natural calamities, the burning pillage of Muslim pirates and the so-called “miracles” of Sariaya’s 18th century icon: the “Santo Cristo de Burgos” … holding your breath at the stories of our erstwhile forebears who braved the realities of their times interwoven with beliefs, folklore, religion and superstition … entering the prohibitive realm of the “taga gitna” or the town centre dwellers in the pre war coconut boom years, peering into the privileged lives of these discriminating landed elite and attending the fabulous “Cupid’s Club Ball” at the park so named because it was held at Valentine’s … living in dread and fear of the Japanese and their Makapili cohorts during the so –called “reign of terror” in those uncertain dying days of World War II … and many, many, more . . . . . . . Truly and indeed, visiting SARIAYA is just like riding a time machine, where one can’t help being carried away instantly, effortlessly, readily and willingly, lost in time . . .. . . . Come, take a leisurely, enlightening, entertaining and mesmerizing walk with me, and experience SARIAYA in its purest and truest spirit! Eric J. Dedace Tour Guide-Story Teller, Local Heritage Researcher and Writer
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 02:13:01 +0000