On May 9, the Filipino community will come together to celebrate the Santa Cruzan festival, which is set to be an eruption of flowers and festivities. Caitlyn Davey finds out more.
On May 9, the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi will be hosting a party like no other in the capital for the Santa Cruzan 2014 festival. The event, celebrating the annual Flores de Mayo festival based in the Philippines, is an opportunity for the Filipino community to come together as well as socialise with other cultures.
The Flores de Mayo [‘flowers of May’ in Spanish], is a religious holiday that was introduced in the Philippines by the Spanish settlers more than 100 years ago, and the Santa Cruzan is a celebration within the Flores de Mayo festival.
In May, the breaking of the dry season means that the sudden downpours create carpets of blooms overnight. The people then take the flowers and decorate the buildings with them. It’s a vibrant spectacle in the Philippines, and one that has inspired the spectrum of colours associated with the Santa Cruzan festival.
Organiser Conrad Caiero says, ‘Here, in the UAE, we all come from different countries and are always busy with our personal commitments, so I felt it would be nice to organise various community events. The Filipino community here is quite large and the Santa Cruzan celebration is a special time for them – so it seemed like it was a good idea to organise an event celebrating the festival for the community here.’
The evening will include competitions and entertainment. Conrad says, ‘The evening will start with the traditional Santa Cruzan parade, followed by the crowning of Reyna Elena and little Reyna Elena Queen [similar to a beauty pagent] by the Philippines ambassador H.E Grace R Princessa, who is the chief guest. We will be hosting a karaoke competition – with grand prizes including flights with Etihad. Then there will be entertainment by a Filipino band and DJ.’
The celebration is the first of its kind in Abu Dhabi – and was created to cater to the absence of community events for the Filipino population. ‘The feedback I have received about the event has been all positive – there are plenty of Filipinos saying they are happy there is an event that represents their culture. I am so happy that the idea has been well received and, given the response, we will probably plan more similar events for the future.’ Conrad has previously worked on various community projects, including one for the Goan community. He says, ‘I recently partnered with the Abu Dhabi Goan Club, and we hosted a grand Goan carnival event on February 28.’
The idea gained traction quickly. Conrad explains, ‘We received feedback from some Filipino friends who said it was a great idea and they were very excited about it. Thereafter, we got the Philippines Business Council involved, who wholeheartedly endorsed our event as part of their cultural outreach programme. We then received corporate sponsorship by companies such as Max Burger, Etihad, Peugeot and AXA Gulf. After posting the event on Facebook, we got such a huge response immediately, which led to sponsorship from Abu Dhabi Fashion Designers Guild and Brilliant Talents. It was a real pleasure to see such support from businesses and people to help make this event a success.’ The Designers Guild will be providing the gowns and make-up for the entrants to the Reyna Elena competition.
The event is likely to be a hit, popular with Filipino and non-Filipino residents alike. The festival is a colourful event every year, and 2014 in Abu Dhabi will be no exception. Conrad says, ‘Our main aim is to ensure the community has a good time and can enjoy this cultural event in a country far away from their homes.’
Anyone can attend the event. ‘It is open to everyone who would like to attend, but tickets are limited and we have had such a great response that we expect it to sell out,’ says Conrad.
To compete in the competitions, email santacruzan2014abudhabi@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/santacruzan2014abudhabi, May 9, Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi, Hamdan Street (02 656 6101).
