Taipei city residents were yesterday treated to a show of colorful costumes and flowers as the Filipino migrant community celebrated the religious Santacruzan festival.
The holiday, which traditionally includes a procession and subsequent church service, was organized by St. Christopher's Church and the Taipei City Government's Department of Labor.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
This year was the sixth time the procession brightened the city's streets and the church's fourth collaboration with the city.
Walking under handmade arches, theatrically made-up and costumed sangalas -- women representing Christian figures or values -- and their consorts participated in a parade that started at St. Christopher's Church on Zhongshan North Road and progressed around the Tatung University area.
Although a quick downpour speeded up the procession, the rain did nothing to dampen the crowd's high spirits. Families hugged and took pictures with costumed friends and loved ones while chatting with fellow attendees.
According to St. Christopher's, Santacruzan dates back to the year 324, when Queen Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, the Roman emperor credited with making Christianity the foremost religion in the Western world, decided to find the cross on which Christ had been crucified. After an extended search, the story goes that she finally found the cross of Christ, as proven by its healing properties.
The Santacruzan festival is a commemoration of this historical event. The festival has also become a celebration of the Virgin Mary's role in Christ's life and is held on the last Sunday of May, the month dedicated to Mary in Philippine Catholic culture.
When Spanish missionaries arrived in the Philippines, they used the Santacruzan procession to spread the Christian message. This gave rise to the modern form of the holiday in the Philippines, in which the sangalas form a procession.
No Santacruzan procession would be complete without one of the sangalas dressed as Reyna Elena, or Queen Helena, accompanied by a boy representing the young Constantine.
"When my friends back home in the Philippines heard that I was going to be Queen Helena, they were really excited. They even had my dress handmade for me in the Philippines," said Mila Cueto, this year's Reyna Elena, dressed in a heavily beaded white gown and train.
Cueto, who is a grandmother, said that she was grateful to the Mother Mary for giving her the opportunity to be Queen Helena this year. Back home, she said, usually unwed girls are chosen to be sangalas, and competition is fierce, with the procession often turning into a beauty pageant.
"The focus of Santacruzan here is more religious," said Caroline See, chairperson of the church's Parish Pastoral Council and a teacher at the Taipei American School.
In the Philippines, See said, the religious meaning of Santacruzan is often overshadowed by the pa-geantry of the procession. How-ever, in Taipei's Santacruzan procession, the focus is on devotion to Mother Mary.
To the migrant worker community, being able to celebrate Santacruzan holds special significance, said Tsai Luz Cruz, a member of the Tamshui Filipino community.
"It means a lot to the migrant community to have the chance to come together in respect and love while in a foreign country, and to share this occasion with the Tai-wanese people," said Tsai, whose son took part in the procession.
Representatives from the Taipei City Government's Department of Labor also lent a hand. They said the celebration was an indication of Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (
"Mayor Ma considers the procession to be a part of Taipei culture. As a result, we've made the event part of this year's Taipei City 120th anniversary celebration activities," said Lin Yun Tzu (
This year, the department gave NT$200,000 to the event, helping the church advertise and pay for the sangalas' costumes.
According to the department, there are about 32,000 migrant workers living in the city, with about 10,000 of them Filipinos. In recent years, the area around Zhongshan North Road section three has become a hub of this migrant community, in a way similar to the Chinatowns in other countries, Lin said.
"Some of the local community in this area still discriminate against migrant workers, but we're working to encourage acceptance and respect for migrants through such events," she said.
St. Christopher's was the only Santacruzan procession in Taiwan for years. However, according to church representatives, this year the festival is also being celebrated in Hsinchu.
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