The month of May is a special time in the Philippines as the entire country celebrates Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May), a month-long festival honouring…
The month of May is a special time in the Philippines as the entire country celebrates Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May), a month-long festival honouring the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many towns commemorate Flores de Mayo with the community congregating in the afternoon at church to pray the rosary and offer flowers to the Blessed Mother. Considered the queen of Filipino festivals, Flores de Mayo is celebrated in Metro Manila, as well as myriad provinces throughout the 7,107-island archipelago.
The month-long Flores de Mayo festival culminates with the Santa Cruzan (Holy Cross) procession, a parade in honor of Reyna Helena (Queen Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine) featuring beautiful young Filipino women dressed in theatrical costumes depicting biblical and historical figures. The Santa Cruzan is a reenactment of Reyna Helena`s pilgrimage to find the Holy Cross.
The Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) is one of the Executive Departments of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, responsible for the promotion of travel to the Philippines, tourism investments, and enhancement and preservation of tourism products in the country. Field offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco provide the following services free of charge on a selective basis: dissemination of tourism information, maps, brochures, posters; lending out of videos, CDs and other tourism-related materials; recommendations on places to visit; endorsement to relevant entities; and assistance to those travelling to the Philippines. These offices also engage in a number of promotional activities: presentations to travel organizations, travel trade shows, media inserts and joint marketing arrangements.
The Philippine Department of Tourism is headquartered in Manila, Philippines, with offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
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