In the country, May is not complete without Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May), a gentle and esthetically pleasing, four-week long festival celebrated in honor of the Virgin Mary. It is gathering kalachuchi shoots and sampaguita buds.  It is filling the reed trays with petals of all kinds carrying baskets of: camias, santan, sampaguitas, lerios -- the flowers of May.   

It's the same celebration as before.  "It's on how the churches observe and celebrate it and how the people look at it that make the difference", states Marcelo Domdom, an active member of the Legio Mariae, an organization devoted to Mary for 20 years now.

Epefania Ayag, 59, a housewife from Capitol site, recalls offering flowers to Mary in her younger days at the Capitol Parish, and even earlier in Zamboanga. "It is just right to offer flowers to someone whose intercession I always credit for giving me solace each day", she says.

Flower offering is a form of thanksgiving.  "For almost 30 years now, each day of May, I always make it a point to attend Flores de Mayo either here in Cebu or in my hometown in Calape, Bohol.  Any kind of flower will do - rose, bougainvillea, four-oclock bisag unsa lang", declares Ma. Miluz Carungay, a resident of San Nicolas.      

The traditional flower offering to the Queen of Flowers, can be traced back to the time of the Spanish friars in the Philippines.  It started in the homes of the older citizens of San Nicolas before the Philippine Revolution, and not in the church.

One maestra Benita, with Claudia, Iktoy and Pari Pilis, are said to have been the first celebrators of Flores de Mayo, to name a few.  They made monthly halad in their respective houses as flower offering to the Virgin Mary.  In turn, other San Nicolasnons made their offering to the Blessed Mother as well in May.

The religious rite ceased during the revolution in 1898.  When it was restored, the parish priest asked the families to hold the flower offerings in the church instead of in their homes.  The daily ritual preceded catechism and prayer lectures for children initiated by the elders.

"I started teaching children prayers for Mother Mary at the age of 16 when I was still in Barili", says Aquilina Gonzaga, who is still active for Mary at 76.  "May is also a month for prayers and reflections, novenas and rosaries", continues Gonzaga, now residing at the Capitol Site.

"The days of May are for Mary's.  It is the time for everyday devotion and to sing songs for Her", she says. Her afternoons inside a church back then were like a May morning everywhere, she recalls.

Little children are happy, if not the most delighted, beings in this time of the year. Jingle S. pleasantly reminisces the time she was made to wear a long dress and a pair of feathered wings as an angel during the Flores de Mayo. "Nindot kaayo nga experience.  I even dreamed of spreading my wings and flying", she giggles.

            Rolando Padica, a pianist of San Nicolas Parish, who has had 30 years of floral rites, was moved to writing a song for Mary.  "You will see how cheerful the children are when they get to offer the flowers. Nindot kaayo sila tan-awon", he says.

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