‘Flores de Mayo’: a vibrant celebration of faith and tradition

“Every day in the Philippines we go to the chapel, offer songs and flowers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and at the end of the month, we have the ‘Santacruzan’,” she said.

St Joseph’s Catholic Church marked the special occasion on Sunday, May 17 with a Holy Mass and the rosary recited in multiple languages.

Ms Mosura said the church “smelt like heaven” thanks to the hundreds of roses, which were freshly picked from the garden of a parishioner.

The celebration continued with a tribute to Mary, featuring a procession of ‘queens of May’, the coronation of Reina Elena and Constantino, and the offering of flowers to ‘Our Lady’.

“All the angels and the lovely women, dressed in their attire, lined up and laid flowers at the altar,” Ms Mosura said.

The festivities concluded with a colourful procession to the Cobram Civic Centre, where attendees gathered for a shared lunch of traditional Italian and Filipino food, alongside live cultural performances.

The grand pageant procession features Reinas (queens), with the most prestigious role being Reina Elena, representing St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great.

Ms Mosura said she had been celebrating Flores de Mayo since she was very young.

“I was raised by my grandparents as a devoted Catholic, and way back when I was so small, I can still remember standing in their chapel in the Philippines dressed as an angle and then later the Virgin Mary,” she said.

“It’s a very special event.”