Flores de Mayo (Spanish for "Flowers of May") is a Catholic and Aglipayan festival held in the Philippines in the month

of May.
It is one of the May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary and lasts for the entire month.
The Santacruzan is the pageant on the last day of Flores de Mayo, held in honour of Helena of Constantinople (known as
Reyna Elena) and Constantine the Greatfinding the True Cross in Jerusalem. That it is held in May probably stems from theold,
Galician date of Roodmas, which was abolished by Pope John XXIII in 1960 in favour of the present September 14 observance.
The name of the festival is derived from the Spanish language word flores meaning "flowers". Other names are "Flores de
Mara" ("Flowers of Mary") and "lay" (Filipinofor "offering").
Order of the procession[edit]
The participants of this pageant would follow this typical arrangement:
Biblical Characters and Traditional Personifications[edit]
1. Matusalm (Methuselah) - bearded and bent with age, he is depicted as riding a cart and looking preoccupied with
toasting grains of sand in a pan over a fire. This is a reminder that the world is transient and will end up like the dust
which he is toasting.
2. Reyna Banderada (Queen with a Banner) - a young lady dressed in a long red gown, bearing a yellow pennant. She
represents the arrival of Christianity.
3. Aetas - represents the dark-skinned indigenous peoples of the Philippines such as the Aeta and Ati.
Theseaboriginal groups predate the ancestors of today's majority Malayo-Polynesian Filipinos by tens of thousands of
years.
4. Reyna Mora (Queen Moor) - represents Muslim Filipinos, owing to Mary's status in Islam and mention in the 19th
sura (chapter) of the Qur'an. Islam arrived in the Philippines two centuries before Christianity and today has the second
most number of adherents in the country.
5. Reyna ng Saba (Queen of Sheba) - represents the unnamed queen who visited King Solomon and was overwhelmed
by his wisdom, power, and riches. She carries a jewelry box. The Queen of Sheba is further associated with the
Santacruzan via her inclusion in the Golden Legend, in which she discerns the provenance of the True Cross.
6. Rut at Noemi (Ruth and Naomi) - daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, and the ancestresses of King David and Jesus
Christ.
7. Reyna Judt (Queen Judith) - represents the Biblical widow Judith of Bethulia, who saved her city from the Assyriansby
slaying the cruel general Holofernes. Also known as "Infanta Judt", she carries the head of her conquest in one hand
and a sword in the other.
8. Reyna Ester (Queen Esther) - the Jewish queen of Persia, who spared her people from death at the hands
of Hamanthrough her timely intervention with King Xerxes. She carries a sceptre.
9. Cleopatra - represents Cleopatra VII Philopator, the famous last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Her male escort is often
taken to represent Mark Antony.

10. Samaritana/Sta. Photina (The Female Samaritan) - the woman at the well (traditionally named Photini) with whom
Christ conversed with. She carries a jug on her shoulder.
11. Sta. Vernica - the woman who wiped the face of Jesus who bears her Veil, which in traditional Hispanic iconography
has three miraculous imprints of the Holy Face of Jesus instead of one.
12. Tres Maras (Three Marys) - each Mary holds a unique attribute associated with the Entombment of Christ:
1.

Sta. Mara Magdalena (St Mary Magdalene) - a bottle of perfume, as Catholic tradition once conflated
her with Mary of Bethany who wiped Jesus' feet;

The Virgin Mary - a handkerchief, for she is in mourning;

Sta. Mara de Cleofs (Mary, the mother of James, wife of Clopas) - bears a bottle of oil, alluding to her
role as one of the Myrrhbearers.

13. Reyna F (Queen Faith) - symbolises Faith, the first of the theological virtues. She carries a cross.
14. Reyna Esperanza (Queen Hope) - symbolises Hope, the second theological virtue. She carries an anchor.
15. Reyna Caridd (Queen Charity) - symbolises Charity, the third theological virtue. She carries a red-coloured heart.
16. Reyna Sentenciada (Queen Convicted) - has her hands bound by a rope, she stands for the Early Christians and in
particular the virgins, who were martyred for the Faith. She is sometimes accompanied by two Roman soldiers.
Marian Titles[edit]
Each figure in this group alludes to a title of the Virgin Mary (usually found in the Litany of Loreto) or to a figure associated with
her. Each letter of the angelic salutation "AVE MARA" is borne by an "angel"a girl wearing a long white dress and wings.
1. Reyna Abogada (Queen Advocate/Lawyer) - defender of the poor and the oppressed, she wears a
blackmortarboard cap, Graduation gown, and carries a large book. Her appearance is a representation of Mary, Help
(Advocate) of Christians. In some Santacruzan processions, the figure of the Doctora ("female doctor") also makes an
appearance, which may allude to "Mary, Health of the Sick".
2. Reyna Justcia (Queen Justice) - a personification of the "Mirror of Justice", her attributes are a weighing scale and a
sword.
3. Divina Pastora (Divine Shepherdess) - bears a shepherd's staff.
4. Reyna de los ngeles (Queen of Angels) - bears a bouquet of white flowers, and is escorted by angels.
5. Luklukan ng Karunungan (Seat of Wisdom) - carries a Bible.
6. Sus ng Langit (Key of Heaven) - bears two keys, one gold and the other silver, a design adapted from the keys on the
Papal arms.
7. Reyna de las Estrellas (Queen of the Stars) - holds a wand topped with a star.
8. Rosa Mystica (Mystical Rose)- carries a bouquet of roses.

9. Pus ni Mara/Corazn de Mara (Heart of Mary) - a pink heart.

10. Reyna del Santsimo Rosario (Queen of the Most Holy Rosary) - she carries a large rosary.
11. Reyna Luna (Queen Moon) - she represents the moon, which serves as the footstool of Mary as the Woman of the
Apocalypse.
12. Reyna Candelria (Queen of Candles) - she carries a long, lit taper, symbolising the Purification of Mary.
13. Reyna de la Pz (Queen of Peace) - a dove, real or otherwise.
14. Reyna de los Patriarcas (Queen of Patriarchs) - bears a wooden rod.
15. Reyna de los Profetas (Queen of Prophets) - an hourglass.
16. Reyna de los Confesores (Queen of Confessors) - a scroll.
17. Reyna de los Mrtires (Queen of Martyrs) - the Crown of thorns or a pierced heart, representing the Mater Dolorosa.
18. Reyna de los Apstoles (Queen of Apostles) - the palm of martyrdom.
19. Reyna de los Santos (Queen of Saints) - a golden wreath, symbolic of the crown of the saints.
20. Reyna del Cielo (Queen of Heaven) - a flower; accompanied by two little "angels".
21. Reyna de las Vrgenes (Queen of Virgins) - a rosary or a lily, the latter signifying chastity; also escorted by two little
"angels".
22. Reyna de las Flores (Queen of Flowers) - The Queen of the Flores de Mayo. She carries a bouquet of flowers.
23. Reyna Emperatrz (Queen Empress) - this is another representation of Saint Helena, this time alluding to the imperial
Roman title of Augusta (meaning 'empress' or 'queen mother') which Constantine had bestowed upon her.
24. Reyna Elena (Queen Helena) - always the last member of the procession, she is the actual personification of Helena of
Constantinople, whose Invention of the True Cross is symbolised by her attribute: a small cross or crucifix that she
carries in her arms. This considerably prestigious role is usually awarded to the most beautiful girl participating in the
pageant. In some communities, the identity of the maiden playing Reyna Elena is a closely guarded secret until the
event itself, while other places are a bit more accommodating, boasting of three Reynas Elenas in their Santacruzan.

Constantno - the escort of Reyna Elena representing the Emperor Constantine, who is almost always played by a
small boy in princely raiment.

The procession is accompanied by the steady beat of a local brass band, playing and singing the Dios te salve (the Spanish
version of the Hail Mary). Devotees hold lighted candles and sing the prayer as they walk. It is customary for males
participating in the Santacruzan to wear the traditional Barong Tagalog and that the females wear any Filipiniana-inspired
dress.
After the procession in some places, there is the pabtin game (in Cavite, it is called "agaw-bitin") that serves as a
culminating activity for the children. The pabtin is a square-shaped bamboo grille or frame to which goodies (candies, fruits,
small trinkets, etc.) are tied with thin strings. This grille in turn is tied to a long rope passed over a strong branch or pole

some 2 metres above the ground. Children then gather under the frame as the it is slowly lowered, and they then jump as
high as they could to grab the goodies while someone jerks it up and down repeatedly until all the prizes are gone.
Sometimes the palosebo (the local version of the greasy pole) is also played, where a tall bamboo pole is smeared with
grease which participants must climb to get a small red banner or a bag with a prize, such as 500 or a higher amount.