Visitors flocked to Quezon Province on Friday to witness this year's "Pahiyas Festival", one of the most popular fiestas in the country.

The sheer volume of visitors eager to witness the festival caused traffic up to three towns away. Since some streets in the province are barred from cars, others opted to walk on foot in order to see the beautifully ornamented houses in Lucban, Quezon.

One such house was painstakingly designed for 2 months by Ellen Rada, who chose to adorn her home with ginger, string beans, and "kiping" or a colorful rice flour concoction. A few houses away, Enrique Elloso said he spent about P10,000 for decorations.

Tourists as far away as the Middle East even came to participate in the celebrations, like Israeli couple Shira and Benjamin Rubenstein. Although they have experienced a similar festival back in their homeland, the Rubensteins attest that they haven't seen a celebration so colorful.

Aside from house designing, marching bands and musicians lended their talents to the festivities, making the general mood more upbeat. The fiesta is traditionally celebrated in honor of San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of farmers, in thanksgiving to a bountiful harvest.

According to the Department of Tourism, the Pahiyas Festival is the second most popular fiesta in the whole country next to the "Sinulog Festival" in Cebu. Every year, more than 10,000 people flock to Lucban to take part in the celebrations. Report from Tina Ganzon, ABS-CBN Southern Tagalog