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The May Crowning
By Marina A. Herrera, Ph.D.
The tradition of dedicating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin came to Latin America with the Spanish and Portuguese missionaries. Part of this tradition includes the crowning of a statue of the Virgin Mary with flowers. In Europe, May is a spring month often called “flowers’ month.” Thus the crowning with flowers fit into the community customs as well. In most regions of Latin America, however, the symbolism did not connect with the season. In South America, May is the month of fall foliage. While in Central America and the Caribbean every month is the month of flowers. Despite the incongruities, the Latin American people were so devoted to Mary that they enthusiastically adopted the new devotion.
One of the old springtime customs of Europe was to choose from among the girls of the village or town a “Queen of the May,” who was crowned with flowers to preside over the celebrations that welcomed the return of good weather. When May became Mary’s Month, the idea soon arose of choosing Mary as the May Queen, and that the one of the young women from the village, instead of being crowned herself, should crown the statue of Our Lady. This custom, too, was adopted in Latin America, and celebrated in villages and cities, parishes and schools.
Mary became the queen of Latin American towns and nations because each can tell a story of how she has been there for them with miracles and her compassionate presence. The Marian shrines that dot the continent and the devout faithful of every generation and social class, give witness to the fervor of Latin American Marian devotion.
The May crowning of Mary has many variants. In some places, it happens on the last day of the month by a young woman chosen from those active in the life of the parish or school and who has given signs of being particularly kind or virtuous; in others the selection is made from among the quinceañeras of that month. In some parishes, each Saturday of May there’s a religious service accompanied by special flower arrangements, poems and songs dedicated to Mary. In Catholic schools the day begins with a dedication to Mary, and a specific class is chosen to present a symbolic flower to Mary in the form of an act of kindness. Other parishes hold poetry, song or art contests in honor of Mary, in which both children and adults participate. The day of the crowning, the winners are named.
This devotion to Mary that marks the spirituality of the Hispanic people was noted and praised many times by Pope John Paul II during his visits to the continent. These words from his Apostolic Exhortation The Church in America summarize his thoughts on the need to cultivate this devotion, “Mary is the sure path to our meeting with Christ. Devotion to the Mother of the Lord, when it is genuine, is always an impetus to a life guided by the spirit and values of the Gospel” (no. 11). For that reason no parish or Catholic educational center should miss the opportunity to highlight in the month of May the prominent role Mary has played in the history of salvation and inspire the young with this devotion.
Note to Parents and Catechists:
Choose one of the following activities to help children better understand and appreciate the importance of our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
• To find out more about our Mary and the many ways Catholics honor and celebrate her, click “Honoring Mary” on the home page of this website.
• Together make a small shrine of Mary to display in your home, classroom or school throughout the month of May. If possible, include a statue of Mary and some flowers.
• This is an appropriate time to review with the children the Hail Mary and/or how to pray the rosary.
About the author: Marina A. Herrera, born in Baní, Dominican Republic, holds a doctorate in Theology with emphasis on Latin American Ecclesiology from Fordham University in New York. Her catechetical and theological work in multicultural settings have taken her to teach for the Archdiocese of Chicago, preparing new catechists, and lay and religious ministers at New York Theological Seminary, St. Mary's, Baltimore, Maryknoll Seminary, Mundelein College, Washington Theological Union, and Wesley Theological Seminary. She writes, lectures, translates, and consults with parishes and institutions that prepare catechists, seminarians and ministers for the multicultural Church. She has helped in the design and content for materials produced by World Library Publications of Chicago, Liturgical Training Publications, Disciples in Mission for Paulist National Evangelization Association’s, Echoes of Faith for Resources for Christian Living, Allen, Texas, La Fe Viva for Creative Communications for the Parish, and Why Catholic? for Renew International among her more recent projects.
