Pamaypay

What it is

The pamaypay is a hand-held fan from the Philippines. It is also called paypay, payupas, the buri fan or the anahaw fan, and in Tagalog the name sounds like puh-my-PY. Most pamaypay are heart-shaped. The body is woven palm leaf, taken from buri or anahaw palms, and the outer edge is braided. That braid continues past the fan itself and closes into a loop, and the loop serves as the handle. It is an object of local making, and it belongs to the wider family of fans used in the islands.

Leaf and weave

Two palms supply the leaf: buri and anahaw. Weavers work it in a technique called sawali, which the sources describe as twilled, meaning the strands cross one another in a slanted, stepped pattern rather than a plain over-and-under. The woven panel that results is flat and flexible enough to be shaped, and it is usually shaped into a heart. The rim is then finished with braiding. The handle is not a separate piece added afterwards: the braid itself runs on and closes into a loop. So the fan is one woven object from blade to handle, leaf and loop in a single piece.

Two kinds of fan

The word pamaypay is sometimes used for another Filipino fan, the abaniko. The abaniko folds, while the pamaypay is woven. According to the sources, the folding fan was used by the upper classes during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines, which sets the two apart. The pamaypay is the leaf fan of local weaving, made from buri or anahaw palm. Keeping the names separate helps: only the woven fan carries the names pamaypay, paypay, payupas, buri fan and anahaw fan.

Wall decorations and crafts

A fan is not only something to carry. The sources note that pamaypay are typically made into wall decorations, and into other handicrafts as well. The same heart shape and the same looped handle can therefore be hung rather than held, and the object moves between the hand and the wall. Because of this, the weaving is not tied to a single use. The sources say nothing further about where such pieces are displayed or who buys them, so this page leaves that open.

How Pamaypay is kept

A weaver begins with leaf from a buri or anahaw palm and prepares it for weaving. The leaf is worked in a technique called sawali, which the sources describe as twilled: the strands cross in a slanted pattern rather than a plain over-and-under. The panel is then shaped, usually into a heart. Next comes the edge, which is braided, and the braid runs on past the rim and closes into a loop, and that loop is the handle. Some pamaypay are carried in the hand. Others are made into wall decorations or other handicrafts.

When and where

The pamaypay belongs to the Philippines. The sources give its name and its pronunciation in Tagalog, which places it among Tagalog speakers, and they describe it as a traditional Filipino fan. Its materials are palms of the islands: buri and anahaw. Whether carried in the hand or hung on a wall, it stays within Filipino homes and Filipino handicraft.

What Pamaypay means

The sources do not record a symbolic meaning for the pamaypay beyond its place in Filipino handcraft. What they do set out is a contrast. The weaving of palm leaf produced one kind of fan, a locally made object, while the folding abaniko was the fan of the upper classes in the Spanish colonial period. The pamaypay belongs to the first kind: shaped, braided and looped by hand.

Questions people ask about Pamaypay

See also

BatokIndigenous Filipino tattooing, once worn as dress, rank and a rite of passageAzulejoPainted, tin-glazed ceramic tiles that cover walls and floors across Portugal and SpainInabel weavingA handwoven cotton textile tradition of the Ilocano people in Northern Luzon, Philippines.Good FridayA solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.

Good reading and sources

• Pamaypay on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-12.