Saturday 7 June
2:00PM
The Santacruzan is a religious-historical parade that started in the mid-1800s, with the first being held in Malolos, Bulacan. It is held in honor of Queen Helena of Constantinople and her son, Constantine the Great, finding the True Cross: the cross that’s said to be the one upon which Jesus was crucified.
According to legend, the 75-year-old queen found three crosses during an expedition to the sight of the Crucifixion. To find the True Cross, she had an ailing servant lie on all three, with the one healing the servant deemed as the True Cross.
While it has turned into an all-out pageant, complete with elaborate gowns worn by the most beautiful maidens in a community, the parade is not without its meaning. In some parts of the country, they stick to the true purpose of the event: to commemorate the finding of the True Cross, as well as the virtues embodied by each maiden.
The three virtues (hope, charity, and faith) are centric to the parade itself. The different reynas or queens also represent historical figures that are vital not just to the parade itself, but also to the history it represents.
