A beautiful but lost tradition.

Byline: Isagani A. Cruz

THIS LAST DAY OF THE MERRY MONTH OF May, I recall one of the most beautiful traditions of our country that is now practically dead, or moribund, at least in the more sophisticated areas of Metro Manila. I refer to the Sta. Cruz de Mayo procession that used to grace the summer nights of that lost month when the people mixed revelry with reverence in homage to the Virgin Mary. As a young man then, I would add romance to the festivities.

The processions were staged for nine nights, as in a prayerful novena. They were directed by the old ladies of the town, with the ninth and most important one being assigned to the hermana mayor, usually the wealthiest member of the group or the wife of an important government official of the place. In her choice role, she …