MANILA, Philippines — To celebrate May as the National Heritage Month, the Intramuros Administration (IA) in cooperation with Filipino Heritage Festival, Inc. (FHFI) organized the Santa Cruz Mayo, which is held every third Sunday of May.
Before the procession last May 24, FHFI President Mita Rufino made a distinction between Flores de Mayo and Santa Cruz de Mayo.
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"Santa Cruz de Mayo is about the tradition of commemorating the looking for the true cross by Queen Helena... As you can see in the procession that each character has a different thing that they carry. That's how you know who they are," she explained.
Meanwhile, the Flores de Mayo "is made in honor of the Blessed Mother... the characters all carry flowers because this is an offering to the Blessed Mother."
"So, the Flores de Mayo is an honor to the Blessed Mother, while Santa Cruz de Mayo is the search for the true cross by Queen Helena," Rufino stressed. — Video by Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo, editing by Kat Leandicho