Vibrant traditional Filipino festival Santa Cruz De Mayo, also popularly known as Santacruzan festival was held at the
Baridhara Park in the capital on Friday.
Cruz De Mayo, which is considered to be the Queen of Filipino Festivals, is a fiesta to celebrate May, the most beautiful month in Philippines. The festival was first introduced by the Spaniards hundreds of years ago. The festival is also attributed to the grace of Virgin Mary.
The festival in Dhaka was organised by the Embassy of Philippines in Bangladesh.
The greatest attraction of Friday’s festival was a lively procession held in the morning that began its parade at the Garden Park and terminated at the Baridhara Park. Dressed in beautiful gowns, Filipino women who are currently residing in the country attended the rally. Placards bearing names of different queens, prominent biblical and historical characters, decorated with flowers were carried by people in the procession.
After the procession ended, men and women dressed as different characters, strutted along a makeshift ramp before the public. Each of them represented a person of great religious and historical importance. A hunchback man named Methuselah was the first to begin the march. He is a reminder of all that glitters eventually end up as dust in the future. Afterwards, a young lady wearing a traditional Muslim gown of Philippines appeared on stage representing the second largest population of the country. Then came Aetas, an indigenous character, honouring the natives of the country. Women depicting different biblical personalities and queens including Reyna Mora, Reyna Abogada, Reyna Sheba, Samaritana, Veronica, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of Christ, and several others marched at the show. A demonstration was followed by a brief music performance. Traditional cuisine of Philippines was also served to the guests at the programme.
Many Philippines expatriates in Bangladesh attended the festival. Jess, a Filipino who works in Dhaka, told New Age that he was really excited to take part at the festival. ‘It reminded me my motherland,’ shared Jess.
A lot of enthusiastic Bangladeshis also participated in the festival. Asifur Rahman, an invited local guest, informed New Age that the colour and liveliness of the fiesta pleased him immensely.
-With New Age input
