Wherever they are in the world, Filipino Catholics faithfully observe their religious tradition even if it meant closing several blocks of a busy section of a major city to traffic. That’s what happened in Jersey City last May 24 when the Filipino community held their annual Santacruzan in the vicinity of St. Mary’s Church on Third Street.

While the Santacruzan or Santa Cruz de Mayo pageantry is a unique tradition observed only by Filipinos, the Jersey City version included worshippers of the Blessed Virgin Mary from other countries like Paraguay and Vietnam who had their own version of the image of the Holy Mother.

According to legends, 300 years after the death of Christ, St. Helena the mother of Constantine the Great, went to Calvary to conduct a search for the Cross. After some archeological diggings at the site of the Crucifixion, she unearthed three crosses. She tested each one by making a sick servant lie on all three. The cross where the servant recovered was identified as the true cross where Christ was crucified.

Many versions of the procession have evolved through the years. The modern Santacruzan now involves biblical and historical characters represented by the local eople dressed in appropriate costumes. The procession was originally led by the earded Methuselah, bent with age, riding a cart where he is toasting grains of sand n a pan over a fire. This is a reminder to everyone that all that glitters will end up as ust like the sand he is toasting. Behind him walks the Banderada, a lady in red carrying miniature Philippine flag, symbolizing the Christian army. Next follow half-clad boys, heir bodies blackened with soot, representing the Negritos or the Filipino pagans and inally Reina Mora in a Muslim costume representing Muslim Philippines.

Today, the Santacruzan is a cross between a beauty pageant and a religious procession. Nowadays the role of the Reina Elena is given to a young and beautiful girl, not to a 75-year-old, the actual age of St. Helena when she found the cross and Constantine is depicted as a young boy. Characters like Reina Justicia, Queen of Martyrs, Rosa Mystica, etc., have also been added to add more color to the celebration.

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