I KNOW that every young girl’s dream is to wear a gown and be part of the much-awaited Santacruzan or Flores de Mayo parade held during the month of May. I am lucky enough to have been part of this in our barangay not only once but twice at least. However, as years passed, the yearly Santacruzan in our barangay was discontinued for some reasons we were not aware of.
Flores is the Spanish word for “flowers.” Thus, Flores de Mayo means “flowers of May” and Flores de Maria “flowers of Mary” also refers to “alay” or offering. The whole Flower Festival is celebrated in the month of May in honor of the Virgin Mary.
According to filipino.com, “this custom and celebration started after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854 and after the publication circa 1867 of Mariano Sevilla’s translation of the devotional Flores de Maria or Mariquit na Bulaclac na sa Pagninilaynilay sa Buong Buan nang Mayo ay Inihahandog nang manga Devoto cay Maria Santisima (The Flowers of Mary or the Beautiful Flowers that in the Meditations During the Whole Month of May are Offered by Devotees to Mary the Holiest).”
The festivity also commemorates the search of the Holy Cross by Queen Helena and her son, the newly converted emperor Constantine the Great. After the Holy Cross was found in Jerusalem and brought back to Rome, there was joyful celebration for thanksgiving. Nine days of prayer (a novena) in honor of the Holy Cross precedes the Flores de Mayo or Santacruzan. This festival was introduced by the Spaniards in the Philippines and has since become part of Filipino traditions identified with youth, love and romance.
Nowadays, the Flores de Mayo is being held in malls. While this is a new twist to the traditional parade around the town, the annual beauty parade has also blossomed into a pageantry of head dresses and marvelous gowns. Of course, we are proud to see the beautiful creations of our very talented Kapampangan designers and most especially, our lovely Kapampangan ladies partaking in the Flores de Mayo.
However, I would still love to see the Santracruzan to be held in barangays and in the parishes, for the true essence of this festivity is in honor of Mama Mary. I hope that our local executives down to the level of the village chiefs can revive this tradition so that young girls in their communities can get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the Flores de Mayo.
There are a lot of ways on how to conduct this parade through the benevolent support of generous people starting from gown rentals, make-up artists, florists, and local industries. With their resources and contributions, this festive tradition can be continued and kept alive in our communities.