Barrio residents regarded the month of May a very significant and memorable for various reasons.
Firstly, this month would usher the arrival of the rainy season thereby ending the long dry hot summer months; secondly, May was the second month of the long school vacation enabling the school children to help their parents in the home and farm on full time.
Thirdly, May would be the time for many fiestas, celebration and other festivities and lastly, it was the time flowers would be in bloom with their awesome, resplendent and variegated colors.
Many years back, barrio children would expect rain to fall by the first day of May. These children would love to play during the first rain in May with the belief that it had curative effects on skin rushes caused by excessive heat and exposure to the rays of the simmering sun.
“Agua de Mayo” or water of May was the term given to this early rainfall which children enjoyed with unusual expectancy and relish.
Many years ago, May was already a rainy season and it was the signal for farmers to start their work in the farm and fields.
Due to seasonal shift as experienced the world over and as reported by meteorological experts, the season would come late.
Rains would come sometimes in late June or early July, as winter had been extended in some western countries as far as April.
No month in the country could probably matched May in many numbers of fiestas, festivities and local celebrations. During the summer months, most government offices worked half-day due to the extreme heat.
During month of May, flowers would bloom and if rain would fall even intermittently, roadside, gardens and the hillsides would be full of blooming flowers.
Many flowers when they bloom would emit fresh alluring scents that no perfume would duplicate. The sampaguita, gardenia, ilang-ilang, camia and roses are some of those exotically scented flowers. In the evening, the scent of the “dama de noche” or “woman of the night” could be noticed for these flowers would only bloom at night giving off the rare odorous oil.
Even the wild plants and vines would join the blooming parade of colors giving the barrio roadsides a colourful landscape which no artist would probably put in canvas.
Due to the exhorting and gladdening beauty of the flowers, during this month, significantly, it become a tradition to celebrate in the barrio, and other places, the so-called “Flores de Mayo” or the “Flowers of May Festival”. Socio-religious in nature, this flower offering would be for the Blessed Virgin in the local church or chapel.
This traditional offering was a manifest of the miraculous powers of the Blessed Virgin Mary in helping the people as told by elders from calamities.
Old Folks kept on telling how the Blessed Virgin saved the church of Antipolo from burning and saving of Manila from an invading group.
Many associated the Blessed Mother with “La Paz y Buena” or literally, “peaceful and good voyage”. No wonder then, many sailors and Maritimes travellers and Blessed Virgin Mary” as a patroness.
“Flores de Mayo” was therefore a local celebration in May by offering flowers in places of worship for the Blessed Virgin. As always, the statuette or framed pictures of Virgin Mary would be displayed inside the house of worship where the flowers would be offered by the devotees most of whom would be children.
In the barrio, “Flores de Mayo” would be fittingly observed in the chapel where the image of the Blessed Virgin would be located. This chapel being the center of devotional worship would also be used for masses, conducting of the “novenas” (nine-day prayer), floral offering and other religious activities.
The floral offering would be done by the children in the mid to late afternoon in the place of worship. Children would come and bring with them assorted fresh flowers picked from their gardens or backyards.
For the floral showers, the petals would be detached from the stem and sepals. Alone and in groups, the children would chant religious songs as they threw the petals at the image of the Blessed Mother. Some would kneel and offer prayers, while others gather around.
By late afternoon to dusk, the children would leave for home leaving the offered flowers. This would end the offering for the day.
The offering or “pag-aalay” was actually the ritual of “Flores de Mayo” a festival brought to the country by the Spanish missionaries leaving their deep imprints in the barrio communities embracing the Christian faith.
This simple religious ritual would remain to be celebrated in spite of the fact that most of the celebrants would not understand the true meaning of the affair or festivity.
In many five-star hotels, “Flores de Mayo” is being portrayed as a part of tourist attractions just like the native dances and presentation of local music.
This re-enactment is not only revival of a colourful tradition but a manifestation that in our country we have an unmatched array of beautiful and exotic flowers hard to equal by any country of the world.
Much more, these festivals would be participated by a congeries of the most beautiful girls the country would offer, sponsored by Ministry of Tourism.
By participating in the “Flores de Mayo”, the children developed a religious devotion and will always be a part of their young lives and fond memories.