Story & Photos by Lyn Resurreccion
May is the month of flowers in the Philippines. It is when Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May) is held as part of the devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Among the annual May activities in honor of Mary are the month-long bedecking her image in the parish with flowers; exhibiting of images of the Virgin; and holding a Santacruzan, or procession where the community’s beautiful women, beauty queens or television and movie actresses represent the different titles of the Mother of Jesus.
A visit to the Barasoain Museum or the Museo ng Republika ng 1899 on May 4 gave the group, led by Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña, BusinesssMirror Publisher T. Anthony C. Cabangon and Editor in Chief Lourdes M. Fernandez, a glimpse of the preparation for the Marian exhibit that would open in the afternoon..
It was amazing to see different sizes of Mary’s more than 100 images in colorful garbs for the 27th year of the annual exhibit. This writer was awed to witness for the first time such a big number of different images of Mother Mary.
At the Barasoain Church, or Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, an image of Mary was bedecked with different flowers of various colors.
Jose Ruel F. Paguiligan, senior curator of Museo ng Republika ng 1899, told the BusinessMirror that the weeklong exhibit would run from May 4 to 10 at the Museo Diosesano de Malolos and Museo ng Republika ng 1899, the Barasoain Church Historical Landmark.
“Some of the images are part of the collection of Museo Diosesano de Malolos, and the rest belong to private collectors from the province of Bulacan,” Paguiligan added.
The exhibit was organized by the Santo Niño de Malolos Foundation Inc. Hermanidad de la Virgen Maria.
A procession will be held on May 12 from the Santo Niño Chapel in Malolos, Bulacan.
Paguiligan said there will be a Sagalahan or Santacruzan, afterwhich flowers will be offered to the Virgin Mary.
Fr. Jay Lina is the chaplain and curator of Museo Diosesano de Malolos, with Ulay Tantoco as chairman and Edwin Maclang as president.
This year’s hermanos, or in charge of the activities, are Jeferson de la Cruz, Emil Santos and Dr. Frederic Cesar Villano.
Image credits: Henry Ansalado de Leon and Lyn Resurreccion