MAY IN THE PHILIPPINES

When the month of May sets in, I think of a series of celebrations. In fact, I could associate this lovely month with the Pinoy’s rich culture. Everyday is “fiesta”. From the very first day ‘till the last day of May, everyone seems bustling around for fiesta celebration. Everything is gussied up from the remote sitios, barrios or villages to the Philippine cities. There is a mixture of joyful noise and copious food in many places all over the country. The crispy lechon with an apple in its mouth is always the highlight on the dining table. There is that soaring candle sales in the church for the Patron Saint offerings. May is not a sober month in the Philippines. Everyone is drunk……everyone becomes a glutton………everyone is having fun in this month.

Another grand event in May is the Flores de Mayo – a tribute to the Virgin Mary. In the Philippines, I could start seeing the rain in May after a long, dry summer. With the rainfall, the flowers magically bloom and the flower fragrance floats in the air. With this beneficial rainfall which makes the surroundings colorful, the Catholics offer prayers, reflections, songs and the children march down the church center aisle and sprinkle fragrant petals for Mama Mary. As these little angels sing hymns to Lady Immaculate while offering a bunch of flowers to the altar, I can’t help on bringing myself back to my childhood years. I always had flowers and friends with me in the church before. I had once experienced becoming an angel who offered flower petals too and I had also been crowned as the little Flores de Mayo Queen in our hometown at the age of six. That angel within me shall live on. Every month of May, I still become an angel………an adult angel who just loves watching the new generation of young angels celebrating the essence of Flores de Mayo.

Santacruzan is another exciting highlight of May which is usually held on the later part of this month. This is a historical-religious parade of beautiful Filipina maidens with their handsome escorts under the hand-carried bamboo arcs decorated by fragrant native flowers. It is a novena procession to rekindle the St. Helena’s finding of the cross – the mother of Constantine the great. This reminds me of the Santacruzan 2001 in my place. I was chosen as the Reyna Elena with my little Constantine partner. It was a great honor for me to flaunt my beautiful gown. I couldn’t conceal the glint of pride across my face since Santacruzan is not just an ordinary pageant of looks or beauties but also the embodiment of traditional feminine traits. This is a historical event and a part of our Filipino culture which had been adopted from the Spaniards more than 100 years ago. And so, it’s not just an entertainment but an inspiration as well.
To sum it all up, May is absolutely a festive month. It is the month of food, noise, fun, fragrance, blossoms and prayers…………a month of the Filipino culture………..a month of history and religion………….a month of celebration ……………a special month that speaks of who and what a Filipino is…………..a month that explains that a Filipino like me is a fun-loving, religious and a cultured person.