Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
HONOLULU, Hawaii – Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May) is a month-long festival unique to the Philippines, embodying the deep devotion of Filipino Catholics to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
More than 5,000 miles from home, Filipinos living in the Hawaiian island of O’ahu keep this tradition alive, compressed in a day-long affair that serves both as a get-together and a platform to showcase the heritage of the country.
Like the original Flores de Mayo back home, the Filipino Community Center (FilCom) in Hawaii staged a Santacruzan as the highlight of the feast.
The Santacruzan traces its roots back to 326 A.D. when St. Helena, the queen mother of Emperor Constantine, traveled to the Holy Land in search of the True Cross and the Holy Sepulcher or the location of Christ’s crucifixion.
In O’ahu, the Filipino community added a touch of their second home by having a “Reyna Hawaii” in the parade of queens to represent the Virgin Mary in her different titles, majority of whom are teenagers.
The event, held simultaneously with the flagship “Filipino Fiesta” in Hawaii on May 4, also featured performances, cultural villages that represented different regions in the country, and a traditional clothing exhibit by Filipino designer Iris Viacrusis.
“Every school, high school and college, there is a Filipino organization. But this Filipino Fiesta is the day when everybody comes together,” Dr. Eva Rose Washburn-Repollo, vice chairperson of the FilCom Board of Directors, said.
The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu said events such as this also reflects the resilience of Filipinos in Hawaii, staging it successfully months after the devastation of the Lahaina wildfire in Maui in August 2023.
“This is one of the events that the Filipino community organizes and it is a great way to develop camaraderie and support one another,” Consul General Emil Fernandez said.
“Events like this unify the community and enable us to be closer to one another, promoting our interest and also helping the development of the Philippines back home,” he added.
— Joyce Ann L. Rocamora (PNA)
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Credit belongs to: www.pna.gov.ph
