May is the fiesta month in the Philippines. Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan are the two traditions that Filipinos follow in honor of the Virgin Mary.
When I was a young girl, my friends and I participates in Flores de Mayo in the neighborhood. We bring flowers to the chapel and offer them before the statue of Mary. Any kind of flower will do (roses, cosmos, bougainvillea, and the like) as long as the children bring some for the day’s offering. Then participating parents bring snacks for us – bread, crackers, biscuits, and fruit juice. The children and I go home happy.
Then at the end of Flores de Mayo, there will be a parade of beauties…beautiful ladies crowned as Queens of the Santacruzan wearing their lovely elegant gowns. Of course, these ladies are paired with their personally chosen handsome escorts. This is the most awaited event in the month of May.
