Valenzuela City: Festivals and Fairs

Sta. Cruz Festival (April 26) -Barangay Isla -The Santa Cruzan was a novena procession commemorating St. Helena's mythical finding of the cross. St. Helena was the mother of Constantine the Great. According to legends, 300 years after the death of Christ, at the age of 75, she 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 Christ's. St. Helena's feast day falls on August 8 but the anniversary of the finding of the Cross is on May 3, in the Philippines, this celebration took the form of the Mexican Santa Cruz de Mayo. -Differ from other Santa Cruzan -Young women are chosen from among the townspeople to represent the various characters in the parade. Each is carried on a bamboo arch and escorted by a young man. The highlight of the parade is Reyna Elena, representing St. Helena whose discovery of the cross is commemorated by this feast. She is escorted by Prinsipe Constantino, under a canopy of flowers. Occasionally, movie and TV stars and other celebrities join in and are featured as major sagalas and escorts.

Putong Polo Festival (November 12) - Barangay Polo - As part of the San Diego de Alcala Feast Day, it is one of the unique food festivals in the country which features the famous putong Polo, the small but classy “kakanin” which was originally created in the town of Polo, Valenzuela. Putong Polo literally means native steam rice cake (puto) of Polo (the town where it originated) as food to appease hunger and a means of generating income thus inspiring the lives of the unfortunate. According to Rita C. Carlos, president of We Care Foundation, Inc., the week-long Putong Polo Festival is celebrated in connection with the feast of San Diego de Alcala, patron saint of Polo, Valenzuela City and known as the