There is a tendency to use Santacruzan and Flores De Mayo interchangeably when talking about traditional May festivities. Although both have religious significance with a procession of ladies parading in long gowns, the similarity ends there. I just learned the difference this year when I got the chance to participate in both.
Santacruzan
The Santacruzan is a procession honoring the finding of the True Cross by Helena of Constantinople (more popularly known as Reyna Elena in local use) and Constantine the Great. The procession traditionally includes biblical characters to emphasize its religious origins although modern depictions tend to highlight the "queens" with their consorts. Santacruzan is actually only one of the events held during the month long celebration of Flores de Mayo during the month of May.
Flores de Mayo
Flores de Mayo is one of the May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This procession serves a culmination of a month long prayer and flower offerings to Mother Mary usually held in churches and chapels. In an effort to put emphasis on the real meaning of the procession, our parish decided to use the many titles attributed to Mary to be represented by the ladies.
While there might be differences in the way these two May processions are conducted, these are traditions worth keeping. Like many youth of today, I wouldn't have known about this if not for the efforts of dedicated adults to involve us.
