San Isidro Labrador

St. Isidore Labrador or San Isidro Labrador (c. 1070-1130) is the patron saint of Madrid, Spain. This Madrileño farmer was canonized with the great 16th century saints, Teresa of Avila, Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier, and Philip Neri in 1621. Born into a devout but poor family, his parents named him after St. Isidore of Seville. married Maria Torriba, more popularly known as Sta. Maria de la Cabeza (St. Mary of the Head), shortly after he fled to Torrelaguna. He would later work for a wealthy landlord named Juan Vargas.

Many of his miracles were described in one of the few known sources about the saint called the Codex of Saint Isidore. This manuscript, along with a repository where the saint’s remains are found, was discovered in the church of San Andres during the sixteenth (16th) century. One well-known story about the saint is that his fellow farmers often accused him of abandoning his work in favor attending mass at the church, but to the surprise of his landlord, the field had been plowed by angels. Another miracle detailed San Isidro and his wife kneeling beside the well for the water to rescue his landlord’s son from drowning.

As the patron saint of farming communities, it is not surprising that towns such as Biñan, Laguna and Lucban, Quezon celebrated him as their patron saint. It is customary to deck the carroza (processional float) of St. Isidore with vegetables, fruits and farm produce. The Pahiyas festival is the most elaborate as the procession route is decorated with farm produce and a thin wafer made of sticky rice and molded on a leaf called kiping, which is dyed in many colors. The kiping is arranged like curtains, chandeliers, hangings and anything that catches the fancy of the household. The end of the San Isidro procession is marked by a free for all, where the farm produce is removed from the carroza and given to the people who bring them home for luck and for a fruitful rice harvest. The celebration on May 15 is just two weeks away from June when the rainy season starts and rice planting commences.