RIZAL PARK, MANILA, METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES - 2018/05/20: Dancers perform Filipino dances wearing native costumes made from indigenous materials. The Department of Tourism held a Flores de Mayo festival at the Rizal Park in Manila. The fiesta themed celebration was a showcase of Filipino games and native dances performed around the national park, Sunday afternoon. (Photo by J Gerard Seguia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Cover RIZAL PARK, MANILA, METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES - 2018/05/20: Dancers perform Filipino dances wearing native costumes made from indigenous materials. The Department of Tourism held a Flores de Mayo festival at the Rizal Park in Manila. The fiesta themed celebration was a showcase of Filipino games and native dances performed around the national park, Sunday afternoon. (Photo by J Gerard Seguia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Under the scorching heat, when flowers start to bloom, people in the Philippines know that it's time to fill the streets with bright and colourful festivities. Here's everything you need to know about Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan

The best time to visit the Philippines is during summer especially if you are a pious devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary. During this season, Filipinos gather in the streets to feast, perform cultural dances, and parade colourful ensembles that would shame the rainbow. 

Two of the most attended fiestas are Flores de Mayo ("Flowers of May") and the Santacruzan which are held usually on the last week of summer. During these events, streets are filled with an atmosphere so bright it promotes camaraderie among locals, neighbours, and foreign visitors.

In case you missed it: Fiesta Filipinas: Summer Festivals

Flores de Mayo

In the late 18th century, the Catholic church has reserved the month of May to honour the Blessed Virgin Mary. The religious feast is called Flores de Mayo, which alludes to the wildflowers that bloom at this time of the year. A series of procession is held during this event, parading different images of the Blessed Virgin Mary and with children offering flowers as a culmination to their May Flower Catechism lessons.

The feast, which runs a whole month long, is celebrated differently depending on one's location. The Bicolanos, for example begin their ritual with the recitation of the holy rosary. People here also recite the traditional "Maria" after the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen) prayer. 

After the ceremony, the townspeople are invited to feast on simple snacks given to those who attended the devotion.

Related: Tatler Deep Dive: A Glimpse Into Marian Devotion in the Philippines

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RIZAL PARK, MANILA, METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES - 2018/05/20: Women perform Filipino dances while wearing native costumes made from indigenous materials. The Department of Tourism held a Flores de Mayo festival at the Rizal Park in Manila. The fiesta themed celebration was a showcase of Filipino games and native dances performed around the national park, Sunday afternoon. (Photo by J Gerard Seguia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Above RIZAL PARK, MANILA, METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES - 2018/05/20: Women perform Filipino dances while wearing native costumes made from indigenous materials. The Department of Tourism held a Flores de Mayo festival at the Rizal Park in Manila. The fiesta themed celebration was a showcase of Filipino games and native dances performed around the national park, Sunday afternoon. (Photo by J Gerard Seguia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The towns in Western Visayas have their own ways of celebrating Flores de Mayo. In Iloilo, for example, an altar of the Blessed Virgin is in different streets and villages. Here, children gather to have simple catechism and teachings about the life and story of Mary and Jesus.

In the Katagalugan area, the celebration began after the proclamation of Immaculate Concepcion's dogma in 1854. One unique tradition can be found in Lipa, Batangas where devotees offer bundles of flowers and prayers to an image of Mary every night.

More from Tatler: Hispanic Catholic Churches In The Philippines: Haven of Faith and Repository of Art

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RIZAL PARK, MANILA, METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES - 2018/05/20: Dancers seen performing Filipino dances during the festival. The Department of Tourism held a Flores de Mayo festival at the Rizal Park in Manila. The fiesta themed celebration was a showcase of Filipino games and native dances performed around the national park, Sunday afternoon. (Photo by J Gerard Seguia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Above RIZAL PARK, MANILA, METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES - 2018/05/20: Dancers seen performing Filipino dances during the festival. The Department of Tourism held a Flores de Mayo festival at the Rizal Park in Manila. The fiesta themed celebration was a showcase of Filipino games and native dances performed around the national park, Sunday afternoon. (Photo by J Gerard Seguia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

After the ceremony, the officiants will give away treats to the participants followed by a party. The event lasts for a month until the Tapusan (ending) which is marked with a celebration of the Holy Mass. 

 

Santacruzan

Santacruzan is the most-awaited parade that honours the fining of the True Cross by Queen Helena of Constantinople (known in the Philippines as "Reyna Elena") and her son Constantine the Great, who would later be emperor of the Roman Empire. It is said that during the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian (A.D. 117-138), Jews were banned from entering Jerusalem. The emperor attempted to eradicate the influence of Christianity and built a temple for the pagan goddess Venus.

When Emperor Constantine seized power in 312, his mother, Helena asked that the pagan temple be torn down. This led to the recovery of three different crosses, including the one where Jesus was crucified. According to legends, Helena felt nothing when she touched the first and second crosses; but when she touched the third and final cross, her condition suddenly changed.

In another version of the story, it is said that Constantine sent Helena on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in search of the Holy Sepulchre and the True Cross. The Holy Sepulchre is the place where Jesus was entombed. In her search, Helena “followed in the footsteps of Jesus,” by providing money, food, and clothing to the poor. 

Her tireless pursuit finally ended when one day, she smelled "dust and a flash of lighting" in an unfamiliar place. Finally, she uncovered the three crosses, one thought to belong to Jesus Christ. 

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The Flores de Mayo celebration in the Philippines (Photo: Panay News)
Above The Flores de Mayo celebration in the Philippines (Photo: Panay News)

People celebrate this event through a religious pageant held on the last day of Flores de Mayo. At this celebration, women donning colourful gowns are seen walking around the town with symbolic items on hand that signify the characters they portray. They are often escorted by men carrying their arches or as their consort, except for Reyna Elena who walks with a child boy as a portrayal of Emperor Constantine.

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