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| HISTORY OF THE SANTA CRUZ DE MAYO |
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| BY ERNIE C. TURLA |
I've gathered some more information about the
Santa Cruzan - a cultural event that the Aguman
will be presenting on May 25, 2002 in which
Melanie Guinto Salvador has been cast for the role
of Queen Helena, the empress (emperatriz):
The Santa Cruz de Mayo and the Flores de Mayo
were blended together a long time ago to form what
we now call Santa Cruzan. It is but fitting and
proper to celebrate the two at the same time, as
people found a strong connection between the
celebration of the Cross of Jesus and the Flowers
of May offered to the Virgin Mary, His mother. It is
more of a royal parade than a religious procession
since, instead of icons or images, live personalities
are used to serve as star attractions. It parades
an array of biblical and historical characters
portrayed by real people wearing appropriate
theatrical costumes pomp and elegant in style.
The pageantry, which has become a tradition in the
Philippines since the Spanish times there, is a way
of paying tribute to Santa Elena (St. Helena), to
celebrate her success in finding the Holy Cross.
Here is a brief account upon which the tradition is
based:
It is said that Emperor Constantine, while preparing to go to
the battlefield with his men, was visited in his tent by
an angel who put him to sleep and gave him a message
through a dream. He was asked to fight in the name
of the cross in order to overcome his enemy.
It is also said that in another instance, he looked into the
night sky and what he saw were the words "in hoc signo vinces"
Which means, "with this sign, you'll be victorious"
Because of his faith and his belief in the miracle,
he obeyed the dream, and true to the prediction,
he and his men emerged victorious in a decisive battle
that saved the Roman empire from invaders. It was that triumph
that led to his conversion into a Christian - the first
Christian emperor of Rome.
In the year 326 A.D., his mother the emperatriz
or Reyna Elena, moved and inspired by the vision and
victory, went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Her quest was to seek the Holy Cross (with the same
ardor the knights of King Arthur had in their quest
for the Holy Grail centuries later, and with the same
ardor as the crusaders led by King Richard, the
lion-hearted, in their failed effort to free the
Holy Land from the Moors also centuries later) - the
very same wooden cross on which Christ was supposedly
nailed and where he uttered his last seven words.
It is said that because of her abiding faith, she was
guided to the exact place where Christ died, and she
successfully found the Holy Cross, complete with its
inscription INRI on its top. Legend has it that a
very sick woman touched it and got healed in no time,
something that made her feel positive all the more
in having found the cross of Christ which was housed
later in a church built in Golgotha by her son,
Constantine, the Great. It is said that she built
many Christian churches within the empire, later to
referred to as Christendom. She helped the sick and
the needy, much like what the late Mother Teresa and
the late Princess Diana (both qualified to be represented
in the pageant) had done in recent times, until her
death at past 80 years of age.
It is in this light that Reyna Elena has come to be
glorified in the Santa Cruzan festival. It is a
procession / parade that signifies triumph as the
queen-saint, in all her grandiose beauty, walks with
her son, little Constantine. (Because physical beauty
is accentuated in pageants, she is shown when she was
young and not when she was already in the twilight of
her years.) Three beautiful queens that follow her
personify the virtues: Fe, Esperanza and Caridad.
The four cardinal virtues sometimes take their place
instead in the regal procession: For justice:
Reyna Justicia, Reyna Sentenciada, Reyna Condenada
and Reyna Abogada. For prudence: Reyna Esther of the
Old Testament. For temperance: Reyna Judith also of
the Old Testament. For fortitude: Reyna Mora who got
converted from the Muslim faith. Reyna de las Flores
and Reyna de las Estrellas - both attibuted to the
Blessed Virgin may also be included. Others just equally
glowing in beauty are a kaleidoscope of historical
and biblical characters that cater to the "wild"
imagination of whoever is in charge of the regal
pageant: Queen Sheba, Maria Magdalena, Delilah,
Joan of Arc, Marie Antoinette, or even Cleopatra.
Stuff like this is mainly optional and differs from
town to town.
The music sung in all Santa Cruzans is "Dios Te
Salve" which starts with "Dios te salve Maria, llena
eres de gracia". A band of musicians usually
accompanies the singers and are at the very rear of
the procession, just behind the emperatriz. In the
very front are altar boys or acolytes carrying a large
glowing cross that is hollow and with light bulbs inside
and wrapped with translucent Japanese paper.
Days prior to the main Santa Cruzan procession,
there are smaller processions held every evening in
which young local damsels are used. For the grand
finale or fiesta, however, beauties usually from
out-of-town, including screen celebrities, are invited
and the pageant becomes more glamorous and elegant
in style, as there are more flowers on display, and as
bright "coleman" lamps are used so that spectators
would see real visions of loveliness from the "royal"
participants.
To see a sample of a picture of a procession, and bring
you into nostalgia, click:
http://www.montifar.com/filam/santacruz.html
Ernie C. Turla
P.S.
One source on the Santa Cruzan says: "Details of the
Santa Cruzan / Flores de Mayo festivities vary from group
to group. At the center of the celebration, however, is a
procession of the Reinas, beautiful young women representing
biblical characters or accolades of Our Lady such as Morning
Star, Mystic Rose and Queen of Justice. The highlight of the
event is the celebration of Elena, a Reina who represents the
long-ago Empress Helena. The Reinas are accompanied by
flower girls and pages. As the Reinas are announced one by one,
they proceed under arches decorated with flowers and carried by
male pages. Many of the young women in the procession wear long
Filipino gowns.
"In many towns in the Philippines, the Santa Cruz procession
is preceded, not consecutively, by a daily devotion to the
Virgin Mary called Flores de Mayo where children and adults,
mostly women and young ladies, do their praying, singing,
antiphonal recitations, pious testimony reading, the Rosary,
and the final floral offering. This double event is worth
mentioning to bolster a basic motto: Ad Jesum Per Mariam.
"We go to Jesus the same way Jesus came to us - through Mary."
Another source says: "Santa Cruzan is the culmination of a
month-long festivity in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The
religious procession is a reenactment of the finding of the
Holy Cross by Helena (later canonized into a saint) in Jerusalem
in the year 326. The tradition was brought to the Philippines by
the Spanish friars who introduced Christianity to the islands.
Every year, in the month of May, flowers are offered to the altar."
Aguman Capampangan NW USA http:maxpages.com/aguman
Atin cu pung singsing Metung yang timpucan Amana que iti
This is the flag of the Philippines.
One of the 8 rays of its sun stands
for Pampanga, the province of the
Aguman Capampangan. Isn't that cool? |
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