Flores de Mayo - The Month of Mary

One of the most serene and beautiful religious celebration in my native Philippines is the Flores de Mayo or the Flowers of May or Flores de Maria. The Philippines being predominantly Roman Catholic chose the month of May as the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

During this month churches and families especially in small towns all over the country offer their devotion to Mary by praying the rosary and singing Marian hymns. After the devotional the children will offer flowers to Mary's image. The image may be crowned with flowers the 1st of May or at least once a week during the month of May.

As a small boy I have done this solemn practice. It is a good way to proclaim my faith and my Christianity. The Flores de Mayo was an influence of Catholic Spain, which up to now has a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The culmination of the Flore de Mayo is the Santacruzan or the Holy Cross Procession commemorating the plight of St. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine. The Santacruzan celebrates Santa Elena's or St. Helen's trip to the Holy Land to search for the wooden cross where Jesus Christ was crucified. Once she found pieces of the wooden cross she went back to Rome and offered prayers and thanksgiving.

On my next blog I will discuss this celebration with pictures of the beautiful beauty queens representing the many names of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Helen herself.

Photo Credit: Mary's Statue with Flower Offerings
Photographer: John Francis Jumaquio
Photo Link: http://www.flickr.com/people/jumaquio31/