THE START of May is welcomed by churchgoers through the annual Flores de Mayo festivities at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora De Guia in Ermita, Manila.
Flores de Mayo is a month-long commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary through the daily recitation of the rosary and flower offering.
Commonly known as Ermita Church, the flowers offered in the church are from the donations it receives.
“Ang nangyari sa dalawang schedule ng simbahan, before the mass [ay] may rosary, then the floral offering that [will occur] for the whole month of May,” Jesse Valio, the parish secretary and bookkeeper of the Ermita Church, told the Manila Pulse.
(There are two schedule[d] masses of the church, before the mass, there’s a rosary [prayer], which will proceed to floral offering lasting for the whole month of May.)
A Sagala parade is observed during the celebration where devotees march the image of Nuestra Señora De Guia along the nearby area.
According to the parish secretary, Santacruzan is different from Sagala that Ermita Church puts together as the former is normally organized by barangays.
Aside from the march, Valio mentioned that flower offering is also the church’s tradition, where sampaguita is the most offered flower during summer season because it can “stay fresh” throughout the day, unlike other flowers that wither quickly.
According to him, the children are usually the ones who present the flowers at the end of mass, but it is no longer feasible since they still have classes in May.
The mass, devoted in celebration of the Flores de Mayo in Ermita Church, is held every 12 p.m. and 6 p.m., starting with a novena, a nine-day period of prayer, and concluding with a flower offering for Nuestra Señora De Guia. — Joyce Ann Cabral/Manila Pulse
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