The Coño Boy 6: Ten Lifetimes With You

Chapter Forty Four: Flores de Mayo

Parroquia de Santiago el Mayor
Poblacion
San Angel
31 May 2019
6:08 pm

The priest swings the censer before the silver carroza triunfal of Inang to prepare her for the procession. He then turns around and steps out of the church's door to swing the censer before the carroza bearing the image of Señor San Jose.

The plumes of white incense smoke rises up to the now purplish sky. The end of May sunset signals the start of the last of the two nights of the Tapusan. From the daily late afternoon floral offerings and prayers at the church, the nights when the Holy Cross moved from house to house, the nine day novena for Inang at Casa de Arrastia, and the Santacruzan procession the night before, is now being brought to a close by the Flores de Mayo procession.

Another fanfare is played by the first marching band as the silver octagonal carroza laden with white flowers bearing the image of Señor San Jose is led out of the church's front patio by the the processional cross flanked by two lit lanterns.

Lolo Luis: Doon uli tayo sa puwesto natin kagabi.

He tells Drake as the carroza of Señor San Jose passes by in front of them.

Drake: Sige po, I'll just tell Migz.

_ _ _

Following the image of Señor San Jose and the marching band playing the "Sampaguita ng Ating Lipi" march, are the children dressed as angels with white paper lanterns hung at the end of thin bamboo poles. The square lanterns are painted with the "Auspice Maria" symbol bouncing to the playful march of the little angels leading the way. Eight girls in white gowns wearing crowns of white roses on their heads follow them. Each holding a flowery rotulo spelling out A V E  M A R I A.

A young lady dressed in a matte gold gown bears a thin staff topped with a shimmering cross. The nameplate above her kubol decorated with tightly packed topiaries of yellow and white flowers spells out Fe for Faith. Following her is another lady about her age in a sage green gown holding another thin staff topped with a silver anchor as Esperanza or Hope. Her kubol creatively utilized textures and colours of various leaves and other tropical foliage with the tasteful sparing use of white flowers. And right after her is the kubol of Caridad or Charity decorated with red and orange roses. It's occupant wears a red ball gown matched with red lace gloves holding up another staff topped with a heart that looks like it was encrusted with red rubies.

Drake: What do you call those baston they're holding with the symbols?

Lolo Luis: Ah tawag ng diyan at vara o bara alta. High or tall staff na nag-symbolize noong mga character nila.

Behind the three representing Faith, Hope, and Charity are twelve young ladies about the age of  thirteen to sixteen wearing matching blue off-shoulder gowns of flowy sheer material and silver tiaras. Their bara alta are topped with eight pointed stars made from translucent capiz shells with ribbons of blue and white gathered and attached as the stars' tails.

Drake: Oh! The stars light up! That's so cute.

Lolo Luis: Yang mga Doce Estrellas na iyan represent the twelve stars sa aureola ng Mahal na Virgen. May nagsasabi rin na symbolo din sila ng twelve tribes of Israel, yung twelve apostles, pati na rin yung 12 na pangitain ng Apocalypse ni San Juan sa Book of Revelations.

A kubol with an ornate gate of gold background under a canopy of white hanging flowers bears the title Janua Caeli [Gate of Heaven]. The adolescent girl in the cream and gold dress and tiara set with blue stones bears a bara alta topped with 2 keys: one silver and one in gold forming an X.