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| INVITATION TO THE SANTA CRUZAN / CORONATION PAGEANT OF THE AGUMAN CAPAMPANGAN |
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| BY ERNIE C. TURLA, aguman president |
Hello Folks!
It's very likely that those of you who regularly read the MagNet
are already aware of the Santa Cruzan/Coronation Pageant the
Aguman will be putting up this coming May 25. We in the club
hope for the involvement of the whole Filipino community in our
effort to portray a rich cultural Filipino tradition handed down
to us through the generations by our forebears. The Santa Cruzan,
traditionally held in May as a flower festival capped by a procession
called Flores de Mayo, is going to have for its venue the gym of
St. Therese Church in Portland. It will be held along with another
tradition: a coronation event to display the beauty of the Filipina
in all her glory. These two traditions will be blended together
to form one single event, perhaps never done before last year's
pageant in the annals of the Filipino-American! It has been
another history-in-the-making, and the Aguman finds it quite a
thrill to make a repeat of last year's command performance if
only to quench insistent public demand.
Being a Filipino cultural presentation with a religious touch,
it is destined to elicit nostalgia on Filipino old-timers here in
the U.S., bring back fond memories that is, and at the same time
plant into the minds of our US-born youth the glory that was
their parents' ancestral homeland. Like all pageants, it is
expected to be replete with pomp and elegance, as biblical and
historical characters come alive and portrayed not by icons but
by ladies in regal and theatrical costumes some of whom could
sweep the spectators off their feet with the radiance of their
beauty, or take their breath away! But what impels the Filipino
to attend this festivity is the fact that it is truly Filipino.
The Filipino culture that binds us together in this country is
just too strong to resist!
As such and in connection to this, we would like to invite all
Fil-Am groups who find meaning in this to participate and be
represented in the pageant by their muse. These clubs will also
be held responsible for the gown, crown, arches, flowers, (etc.)
of their respective representative muses who are entitled to a
free ticket. Likewise, they will be responsible for the sash that
will bear the name of their association. Since this pageant is
not a beauty contest and wealth is not of prime consideration,
I am urging each group to create a search committee that will
delve deep into their membership roll and find their most beautiful
member, preferrably single to better associate her with chastity
and innocence. Oftentimes a shy girl who is not even well-known
within the group's inner circle exudes a vision of loveliness and
would have the potential to become the spectators' favorite!
To give all the groups a chance to do this, we're setting the
deadline for the submission of the names of their respective
"representative queens" on April 15. Already, 8 associations
have signified their intention to participate in addition to
sending a big number of their members to attend. These are
mostly the ones that participated last year and still have arches
stored in our garage. Tickets to the pageant, which also includes
a dinner-dance, cost $20 each.
As usual, funds raised in this forthcoming event will go towards
the medical missions we undertake every year (we had our third
one last Dec. and are planning to have another one this coming Dec.)
Those who would like order tickets, please, contact the Aguman
secretary Frida Alejandrino (503) 531-9407 or at her Charlie Catala's
Catrick's Cleaners (503) 579-8205, or yours truly at (503) 642-1348.
Those whose organizations are going to participate must send the
names of their entries (their queens, that is) to Monette Mallari,
the over-all chairman of the Santa Cruzan/Coronation Pageant.
Same way with those who would want to order arches and sashes
for their queen. We are also preparing a souvenir book where
each page (the size of a sheet of typewriting paper) costs $60,
and a half page, $40. To advertise here, please contact Mina
Guinto Tahayeri, the chairman of the souvenir programs committee.
Well, we hope we could count on you again and are looking forward
to an early response so that we can finalize the works of our
various committees.
The Aguman is certainly blessed with so many friends like you who
would never let us down each time we need your support.
Thank you most kindly, and have a nice day!
Ernest C. Turla
president, Aguman
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The idea of a Santa Cruzan is something I conceived in my
mind even before my term as president. It popped up during
a moment of inspiration after a mid-summer night dream! It
all started when one night as I lay in bed pondering over
matters that could enhance the image of our association,
I fell into a deep slumber during which I dreamed of being
lost in a grand palace and seeing so many visions of loveliness.
I saw a myriad of queens and princesses slowly walking in a
dignified way and all dressed in gowns -- so pomp in style!
I was enraptured and filled with awe by the splendor of
their beauty as they passed by in front of me! I had never
seen such elegance! And the madrigal music that filled the air was
Strauss-like! Then from nowhere, I heard a soft voice that
sounded like that of an angel and addressed royally to me:
"Your highness, why not seek something which when
mentioned, the Aguman Capampangan would automatically
come to mind?" With those words, all the characters I was
seeing faded into the mist and I woke up with a thrill in my
heart! I jumped up from bed and said, "Yes, that is it! A
signature event is what we need!. Something the club would
be doing for a number of years until that event would become
very much associated with it. Just like for instance, now
when we mention Valentines Day with a Cotillon, the Fil-Am
Friendship Club comes to mind. And when we mention Mrs.
Philippines, we immediately think of the Filipino American
Association of Portland and Vicinity. Something like a
landmark if it were a city or country! As the Statue of
Liberty is to New York, and the Basilica of St. Peter is
to Rome, so too will the Santa Cruzan / Coronation Pageant
be to the Aguman Capampangan NW USA!" So, it came to pass that
I went on with my dream, or should I say, my quest. I remembered
that over the years we had been celebrating occasions that really
had no bearing whatsoever with our culture as Filipinos. Take
the case of Halloween for instance. We have All Saints Day
in the Philippines but not Halloween. And Pampanga is not
even noted for pumpkins! So I said to myself, what is our
province well-known for, and what does the Capampangan
typefy? And as though by lightning, it struck me: "beauty"!
Capampangan women walk with elegance in their beauty, as well
as in extravagance just to portray that beauty - a physical
trait the poet, John Keats, regarded as "a joy forever"!
Capampangans, are artistic and well-known for making the best
star-lanterns (parol) for Christmas. I further realized that
Pampanga is also noted for sampaguita, our national flower.
Leis and garlands being peddled in Manila come from the
sampaguita orchards that abound in the area around Lubao,
Guagua and Floridablanca. ( http://maxpages.com/sampaguita )
Then I thought of the rose festivals here in Portland and in
Pasadena where we used to live. And I said, "The sampaguita
is a flower too, and even more fragrant than the rose. During
the flowery month of May, we use them in Flores de Mayo
processions during which we give them to the blessed Virgin
Mary as an offering. So, that is it, eureka! The Santa Cruzan!
It could become a celebration we can put up every year
from now on. We will put Filipino immigrants here like
ourselves into nostalgia, instill more cultural awareness
in ourselves as we all recall this magnificent tradition
we have left behind. It will also be awe-inspiring and
thrilling on the part of the U.S.-born Filipino youth as
he is able to take a glimpse of how it is in his parents'
motherland. The youth in the Filipino-American National
Historical Society would find such an event educational
and it could perhaps even embolden them in their pursuit
to learn more of their cultural heritage.
So, in late January, I brought this matter up in our monthly
meeting, and it ignited the hearts of many, and before long,
the excitement of having a Santa Cruzan spread like wildfire
within the ranks and files of the club. The idea of a Santa
Cruzan pageant really swept everyone off his feet! But the
story had just begun!
Aguman Capampangan NW USA http:maxpages.com/aguman
Santa Cruzan News: http://www.fil-am.org/webnet35.pdf
More Santa Cruzan News: http://www.fil-am.org/webnet36.pdf
An Interview With God: http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/popup2.html
Atin cu pung singsing Metung yang timpucan Amana que iti
This is the flag of the Philippines.
Pampanga is represented by one of the
eight rays of the sun. Isn't that cool? |
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