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Fil-Canadians hope to keep tradition alive in Alberta 'Santacruzan'

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Jess de Leon | TFC News Alberta

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iN5xs23TQus?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Filipino-Canadians brought back a slice of home to Alberta as they held the &quot;Santacruzan&quot; religious parade.The age-old tradition was the highlight of the Flores de Mayo festival in Red Beer, where flowers and prayers were offered to the Virgin Mary at a local church.The manager of a farmer&#x27;s market where the parade passed through expressed excitement over the event.&quot;[The farmers market] has a diverse community and culture,&quot; said Shauna Fisher. &quot;We wanna celebrate it here. We&#x27;re excited to be part of your Filipino culture.&quot;May Lisondra, a business owner at the market, is a longtime supporter of the Santacruzan event which began in Red Beer in 2008.&quot;It sort of brings back our lives in the Philippines while we&#x27;re in Canada,&quot; she said in Filipino.Members of the Philippine Canadian Association of Red Deer were elated to see the success of the event.&quot;With the organization trying to get everything together, it&#x27;s a wonderful thing for Filipinos,&quot; said Matthew Cameron, one of the volunteers for the event.For Mildred Manuel, who organized the Santacruzan, the younger generation should keep the tradition alive.&quot;It&#x27;s a devotion to the Virgin Mary,&quot; she added. &quot;We want to keep this yearly for them to be aware of our culture and tradition.&quot;

The tradition was the highlight of the Flores de Mayo festival in Red Beer, where flowers and prayers were offered to the Virgin Mary.