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FILIPINO-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION HOLDS SANTACRUZAN
May is fiesta time in the Philippines. As a Catholic country in Asia, towns all over the 7,100 islands celebrate fiestas honoring their patron saints. The most popular is the Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May) and Santacruzan (Holy Cross). These two events usually go together especially in the Tagalog region in Luzon. The first one has little boys and girls wearing white clothes offering flowers to the Blessed Mother in their local church while Santacruzan has children to adults in the procession. Santacruzan symbolizes the finding of the Holy Cross by St. Helena (Reyna Elena) in Jerusalem, mother of Constantine the Great. It is a celebration of the Catholic faith. Participants in the traditional Filipino festival consists of beautiful queens (sagalas), handsome escorts (consortes), little angels, flower girls and a little boy dressed like Constantine who escorts his mother, Reyna Elena.
The Filipino-American Association brought the Filipino tradition to the campus of Spring Hill College on Sunday, May 25th. The procession ended in the St. Joseph’s chapel with a mass celebrated by Fr. R. V. Baylon, S.J. The youth from the Filipino community were the participants. The young ladies were dressed in resplendent gowns, their escorts wore the Barong Tagalog (formal men’s shirt) and the little children were cute as angels, flower girls and junior escorts. Each reyna (sagala) and consorte walked under beautifully decorated arches (arcos). The statue of the Blessed Mother on a pedestal decorated with fresh flowers completed the procession. Right behind the statue were singers singing Ave Maria!
Filipino-American Association recognizes the 25th anniversary of Mobile International Festival.
