Palm Sunday spells extra income for lukay vendors

CEBU, Philippines- Enterprising families from various towns in Cebu flocked to city churches yesterday to sell palm fronds which are in-demand on Palm Sunday, hoping for good sales.

Delia Satuquia, 42, arrived in Cebu City on Saturday with her children to join others in selling palm leaves or lukay to churchgoers until yesterday.

"We have been doing this for five years already because it gives us and other ordinary families an additional income," Satuquia, who comes from Barili town, said in Cebuano. 

She, together with other vendors, sold her products outside the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. Other sellers came from Dalaguete, Bogo City, Carcar City and other towns.

The woman said the Christian tradition has allowed them to engage in a sideline business aside from farming which is her family's main livelihood.

Lukay traders told The Freeman demand for palm leaves surged yesterday as many parishioners were buying them for the Passion Sunday or Palm Sunday, the first day of the Holy Week which ends with Easter the following Sunday.

Most lukay makers said they sourced their raw materials including palm leaves from their own coconut trees as most of them are farmers.

The family of Catalina Manigos, 63, from Barili produced about 800 palm fronds which she hoped would be sold out at the end of the day.

Selling palm leaves, she said, could yield them a net income of around P500.

Vendors sold palm fronds at P5, P10, P15 and P20, depending on the size, raw materials used and design.

Traders said they could just earn enough from selling lukay, saying they also had to recover the transportation cost and other expenses they spent in coming to the city.

For Catholics around the world, Palm Sunday marks the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, prior to his crucifixion.

The blessing of palm leaves every Holy Week, as part of the tradition of the Catholics, has given small vendors a boost in their business.  (FREEMAN)