A few days ago, I was asked, “As a Filipino, what do you think about celebrating festivals?” » If there is only one Filipino festival touted for its ultimate grandeur, magnificent array, spendthrift in its opulence and splendid in its style, it is the most anticipated annual celebration of Flores De Mayo, which takes place ostensibly ends with a spectacle of beauties and finery. known as Santacruzan - the reenactment of the biblical search for the Holy Cross. Additionally, in the Philippines, she is widely known as the "Queen of All Festivals", given that she is celebrated every year during the entire month of May, also known as the Festive Month in the Philippines - during which Filipinos generally dedicate themselves in thanksgiving for the kindness of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. Through this, the religious faith of Filipinos has been strengthened since they live in a predominantly Catholic society - and they have also been constantly reminded of the importance of family, motherhood and unity as a community and nation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay How do I feel about celebrating festivals? More so, to better understand the nature and importance of this tradition cultural, a revisiting of the past must be done first. To begin with, one must understand that "Flores" - a Spanish word that translates to "flowers" - are the main elements of these May festivities, as people often gathered in the church - where the altar is usually decorated . abundantly of flowers so that they can pray and offer flowers to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Therefore, these flowers not only represent the beauty of these festivities, but also the joy and hope they bring to people, as they also signify the time for personal growth and for people to flourish, all like flowers in spring in other countries. . To add, during the Spanish era, when Flores de Mayo appeared, it was first seen by Filipino farmers as a simple celebration of homage and thanksgiving. Mainly, one of the reasons is that they strongly believed (at the time) that it brought more rains to their neighborhood, which greatly helped them to cultivate and harvest their crops more successfully at that time of year. the year. And it’s been going on for years ever since. Eventually, in 1854, with the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception which acclaimed Mary (mother of Christ) as one who was conceived without any original sin, this celebration became a cultural tradition and a religious custom and tradition cultural Philippines, where most Filipinos dedicate themselves with gratitude to the Blessed Virgin Mary, believing in her goodness and purity, and to thank her for always interceding for us with Jesus Christ and for always being there when we need most need her. Apart from that, they are also very self-absorbed. to the religious parade called Santacruzan - where beautiful girls usually parade with their fancy dresses through the streets. It is actually a sign that the festivities and celebrations are coming to an end. So, at the very end of the month, various towns or barangays would usually host a Santacruzan, a parade commemorating St. Helena's search for the Holy Cross. In this regard, it was believed that 300 years after the death of Christ, archaeological excavations at the site of the Crucifixion in Jerusalem led 75-year-old Queen Helena in search of the Redeemer's cross. The excavations uncovered three potential crosses,but it was impossible to know which one was real. The queen then summoned a sick servant to touch and lie on the three crosses and the one who healed him was considered the saint. In the Philippines, Flores de Mayo is considered a national celebration, but there is no one way to do it. celebrating it from various towns, barangays and towns have their own versions of festivities, making them more diverse and very rich in culture. For example, in Batangas, they usually celebrate Flores de Mayo by joining in traditional Tagalog poetry where the names of the sagalas were read aloud and spoken, while describing the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the salvation of Filipino Catholics. Meanwhile, in Pampanga, the Santacruzan procession is usually interrupted by costumed Moros who challenge the escorts to fight against them. In this case, this tradition is called Sabat, where it depicts the Moro people's ambushes of Queen Helena and her crusade as they returned to Europe with the Holy Cross. On the other hand, through my personal experience, when my family and I were still living in Cabong, Zamboanga del Norte, I was able to witness a different way of celebrating Flores de Mayo. I still remember how we used to play fun Filipino games – such as pabitin and hampas palayok – along with the other games in our barangay. In the pabitin, as the snacks and money were all tied up in the bamboo hanging above us, well, I remember, when I was a little kid, I really did my best to jump too high to achieve anything prices. Fortunately, I was able to take away a lot of things, since the game only stopped when all the prizes were won by the participants. In the other game "Which was called hampas palayok", a player was usually chosen from the crowd, and he was blindfolded at least 3 meters in front of the hanging pot and was responsible for hitting the pot filled with treats after turned. around several times. A long bamboo is usually provided as an instrument for hitting and breaking the pot, while the crowd was responsible for distracting the player by shouting all manner of instructions and misleading information. In this area, it made the game more challenging and more fun. Nonetheless, it is a win-win situation since the crown was able to win all the prizes in the pot while whoever broke it won the cash prize. Through them, the diverse cultures, beliefs, customs and traditions that every Filipino possessed were seen and manifested. And now, as my family has decided to settle down in a small town in Janiuay, Iloilo, I asserted that most Filipinos are indeed fiesta fanatics. because they love celebrations and festivals so much. However, as a child, I didn't really understand the importance and value of Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan or all the festivities of the month of May. Back then, I could only attend and participate in the Flores de Mayo and enjoy the festivities as a child because at the start of the festivities, it's my birthday so I can always celebrate it with all my friends and family at church. . I remember, I was so excited because I could finally make my own bouquet of flowers as an offering to Mama Mary. Santans in red, orange and pink colors are definitely our favorite offering flowers, along with red gumamelas because they are so pretty. However, just like the other kids, it also reminded me of how naughty I used to be, as I would sometimes steal flowers from our neighbor's garden and offer them at the altar. It's mainly because my mother would be angry if we picked flowers in her..