Santacruzan -- Preserving the Culture and Sharing the Faith

One of the fondest childhood memories I have growing up in the Philippines, particularly in the college town of Los Banos, Laguna, is that the month of May is a festive month. It stands out in my memory because for one, it was a summer vacation month (at least when I was growing up). And in a college town where many activities revolve around the University calendar, the atmosphere is definitely different. But what makes this month memorable are several festive celebrations, Flores De Mayo (Flowers of May), Santacruzan (in English, it means “Holy Cross”), and the fiesta of the Patron Saint of my barangay, San Isidro. The streets, the churches, and even the makeshift basketball courts all across town are adorned with colorful paper flags, flowers, and other festive decorations.

Santacruzan and Flores de Mayo, to me as a young boy, were rituals that we did simply because we have done them for so long and that they were rituals my entire town, and really the entire country, got into on a yearly basis. And I never really had a reason to search for an explanation as to why we celebrated them.

Now that I am older, a long-time resident of the US, and a dad, I get nostalgic thinking about my childhood and my coming-of-age years in the Philippines, those summer months, and the excitement that the May festivities brought to my town. This is one of those moments where I find myself saying, “How I wish my kids experienced the fun things I experienced growing up in the Philippines!”

Well, that wish is somehow getting fulfilled despite being 7,000 miles away from the Philippines because my young teenage daughter will be participating in a Santacruzan procession sponsored by a Filipino community at my local parish. It is my hope that the second generation participate in rituals like these with a deeper sense of what they are about, why Filipinos get so enthusiastic celebrating them, and the need for the next generations to preserve them. The Santacruzan is, after all, a ritual that was meant to teach and catechize the people. I hope that my American-born kids don’t just to go through the motions of the faith and our cultural traditions like I did as a child but that they truly understand and honor what they represent.

Santacruzan is a lot more than just a social event. It is a lot more than just an elaborate procession of young women in colorful dresses. Some people even think that it’s like a beauty pageant. This ritual, which has been held in the Philippines since the 1800s, originated as a way to commemorate and to retell the story of how Queen Helena, or “Reyna Elena,” mother of Constantine the Great, uncovered the Holy Cross, the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Constantine was the Roman emperor who converted to Christianity and is considered a key historical figure responsible for turning Christianity from being the persecuted minority to being the official state religion. Basically, Christianity as we know it today would not be the same if not for Constantine. Queen Helena (Reyna Elena), his mother, became a zealous Christian herself. According to some accounts, she went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and uncovered the Holy Cross.

Santacruzan takes place in May, coincidentally with Flores De Mayo, a tradition in which devotees offer flowers to the Virgin Mary during the entire month. In the Philippines, devotees not only offer beautiful flowers this day but they congregate to pray the rosary and get together for some food and festivities. The young women dressed in colorful dresses process as queens, or “reyna’s”. Each of the queens will represent a biblical female figure such as Judith, Ruth, and Naomi, or the theological virtues of faith (“Reyna Fe” which translated in English means “Queen Faith”), hope (“Reyna Esperanza” which translated in English means “Queen Hope”), and charity (“Reyna Caridad” which translated in English means “Queen Charity”). The last queen in the procession will represent Reyna Elena (Queen Helena). She will walk with a cross in her arms to represent her finding of the Holy Cross. She is usually escorted by a young man who represents Emperor Constantine.

As a kid, I used to treat the Santacruzan the same way I treated a beauty pageant. But now as a father of a young teenage girl participating in this tradition, and as an ever-curious Filipino Catholic in America, the traditions of Santacruzan and Flores de Mayo have a deeper meaning. I see these rituals not only as creative ways to commemorate and catechize the people about this special event in the Church’s history but also as a way to celebrate the deepness of our Catholic faith as well as the richness of our Filipino culture. Once again, just like what the Simbang Gabi celebrations illustrated, it is through these very festive and colorful cultural practices that the Filipinos not only preserve their heritage but also share the joy of their faith.