Pila’s Palaspas

The old but pretty Relova house facing the town plaza is deocrated with palaspas

Pila and adjacent towns along the shores of Laguna de Bay are considered by archaeologists as one of the oldest settlements in the Philippines. The Franciscans arrived in 1578 to evangelize the people of Pila and soon afterwards built a church dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, the first Antonine house of worship in the Philippines. Due to the nobleness and mildness of the character of its inhabitants, the Spanish leadership honored the town with an exceptional title La Noble Villa de Pila, one of five villas named by the Spaniards in the 16th and 17th century in the Philippines.

Closeup of the palaspas decorations in front of the Relova house.

The National Historical Institute of the Philippines declared the town plaza and surrounding ancestral houses a National Historical Landmark on May 17, 2000. Two years later, on July 9, 2002, the Diocese of San Pablo proclaimed the parish church of San Antonio de Padua de Pila as the Diocesan Shrine of St. Anthony. According to Philippine historian, Dr. Luciano Santiago, it is the only town in the Philippines that is formally recognized as a historical site by both the church and the state.

The palaspas decorations line the route of the procession.

Adding to this distinction, it is apparently the only town in the Philippines that has a unique tradition during the Holy Week. This tradition is the lighted palaspas (palm leaf) decorations lining the route of the procession during Holy Wednesday and Good Friday. Cora Relova has kindly provided us with added information and pictures of this vanishing religious decorative tradition. One hopes the younger generation to continue this beautiful tradition.