What to do for your carroza decoration this Holy Week?
There are so many trends and influences one can choose from, especially now that the internet has become highly ingrained in the lives (tapos na ang Pinoy texting generation) of the common Juan...You can get floral inspiration from the gilded andas of Spain's famous Dolorosa's (and yes the Macarena now is no longer just a song); from hotels, huge mansions and even government houses; from the carroza's of other image owners etc the list of sources can go on and on, just keep typing the key words in your favorite browser or search engine.
But to help you narrow down your search, cause this approach may take you forever...I have two very crucial tips that you need to consider:
First, how much are you willing to spend
This of course is self explanatory given that Holy Week is one of the times when flowers are expensive plus given that in recent months the country has been ravaged by a series of typhoons. Your choice of flowers will be highly determined by this and yes the quantity (but of course there are alternatives to fresh flowers, artificial flowers either made of silk or paper but buying these will hurt the first time, succeeding years not much except for the storage space).
In terms of flowers, "in-colors" would be hues of pink, rose and red. You can use flowers with hues of blues and violets to accentuate the arrangement, plus to bring in the color of the season to your carroza. Less foliage is also becoming popular so that means less greens more colors (something I will be working against this year...hehehe). See floral arrangement of San Agustin's "dela correa" last GMP 2011, following a Spring-type floral arrangement, perfect for Easter processions.
Here's another arrangement using roses following the shape of the carroza.
Note however that this of course works best for carroza's of female saints. For carroza's of Jesus Christ and male saints, put in more red and blues and use pink to accentuate, although a monochromatic scheme is more appropriate.
Amount of flowers bought of course determines the floral arrangement which can be done. Still popular is the very traditional garland-type which you can playfully hang around the sides of your carroza (works for both circular or rectangular shaped carroza's)
To add a contemporary twist, play with colors and flowers, see sample below:
Lastly if you are still unsure what color to use...look at your image's clothes you can either use the same color (except for black of course...)? Or use a complementary color to highlight the image.
A benchmark for use of garlands, San Jose in GMP 2011
Second, Your Preference
I define this as what feels right for you. It takes time of course to fully understand what you really like but once you are sure about it, it becomes your principle that can guide you from how you dress your image to how you decorate the carroza's. However this preference may still change or evolve overtime. Time can only tell.
One of my sketches for this Holy Week...
With the resurgence of interest for the Pagsasanto tradition of colonial Philippines, I can't help but join in the chorus for more baroque inspired carroza's and images. I am so enamored right now with this that to be honest floral arrangements take a back seat for me, for the attention is more on the carroza and the image. Less is more! And this is my style for now, liturgically, economically, practically...it is perfect (Although I still have to own a baroque inspired carroza...)! But I do understand that this won't be an easy choice for all, due to a general pervasive Filipino mindset that more is a sign of affluence and a measurement of an image owner's care of his or her image (same for my family); but still, that's why Preference is important, no matter what as long as you are happy and secure with your choice, nothing else matters.
My color choice for this year is green. Final carroza design is of course more...less
To decorate a round shaped, lusutan or Callado style carroza...just put a floral arrangement on top, right in front of the image and you are good to go. These carroza's are highly ornate so to showcase the craftsmanship best not to cover it with layers of foliage and flowers. Another option is to put the floral arrangement around the light posts. But you can also play with your arrangements, see below:
Just grabbed this carroza in Flickr...forgot to get the name of the owner...sorry! You know who you are Thank you! Beautiful carroza by the way...
Left-Top- Spanish andas-inspired, low cut flowers arranged close to each other.
Left-Bottom- Spring Type arrangement employing two types of direction, upwards (meaning flowers at the center are placed vertically-straight) and sidewards (flowers at the side a bit drooping down)...best floral arrangement if you are the type who loves to see movement on top of the carroza.
Right-side- Use garlands. As an added option punctuate garlands with circular, oval or tear shaped floral arrangements (these flowers can be bundled together or arranged spring-style).
Other options:
1. Diagonal- Huge floral decoration at the top which gets thinner towards the bottom.
2. Ribbon- tie floral foams around the body and at the center in front of the image create a huge arrangement which will serve as the "knot"
3. Hanging Gardens- tie small separate floral arrangements at the light posts
4. Shredded- again on the light posts, arrange flowers drooping down like bundles of string beans
5. Over the top- Cover it with flowers
(and more...)
There are so many trends and influences one can choose from, especially now that the internet has become highly ingrained in the lives (tapos na ang Pinoy texting generation) of the common Juan...You can get floral inspiration from the gilded andas of Spain's famous Dolorosa's (and yes the Macarena now is no longer just a song); from hotels, huge mansions and even government houses; from the carroza's of other image owners etc the list of sources can go on and on, just keep typing the key words in your favorite browser or search engine.
But to help you narrow down your search, cause this approach may take you forever...I have two very crucial tips that you need to consider:
First, how much are you willing to spend
This of course is self explanatory given that Holy Week is one of the times when flowers are expensive plus given that in recent months the country has been ravaged by a series of typhoons. Your choice of flowers will be highly determined by this and yes the quantity (but of course there are alternatives to fresh flowers, artificial flowers either made of silk or paper but buying these will hurt the first time, succeeding years not much except for the storage space).
In terms of flowers, "in-colors" would be hues of pink, rose and red. You can use flowers with hues of blues and violets to accentuate the arrangement, plus to bring in the color of the season to your carroza. Less foliage is also becoming popular so that means less greens more colors (something I will be working against this year...hehehe). See floral arrangement of San Agustin's "dela correa" last GMP 2011, following a Spring-type floral arrangement, perfect for Easter processions.
Here's another arrangement using roses following the shape of the carroza.
Note however that this of course works best for carroza's of female saints. For carroza's of Jesus Christ and male saints, put in more red and blues and use pink to accentuate, although a monochromatic scheme is more appropriate.
Amount of flowers bought of course determines the floral arrangement which can be done. Still popular is the very traditional garland-type which you can playfully hang around the sides of your carroza (works for both circular or rectangular shaped carroza's)
To add a contemporary twist, play with colors and flowers, see sample below:
Lastly if you are still unsure what color to use...look at your image's clothes you can either use the same color (except for black of course...)? Or use a complementary color to highlight the image.
Second, Your Preference
I define this as what feels right for you. It takes time of course to fully understand what you really like but once you are sure about it, it becomes your principle that can guide you from how you dress your image to how you decorate the carroza's. However this preference may still change or evolve overtime. Time can only tell.
With the resurgence of interest for the Pagsasanto tradition of colonial Philippines, I can't help but join in the chorus for more baroque inspired carroza's and images. I am so enamored right now with this that to be honest floral arrangements take a back seat for me, for the attention is more on the carroza and the image. Less is more! And this is my style for now, liturgically, economically, practically...it is perfect (Although I still have to own a baroque inspired carroza...)! But I do understand that this won't be an easy choice for all, due to a general pervasive Filipino mindset that more is a sign of affluence and a measurement of an image owner's care of his or her image (same for my family); but still, that's why Preference is important, no matter what as long as you are happy and secure with your choice, nothing else matters.
To decorate a round shaped, lusutan or Callado style carroza...just put a floral arrangement on top, right in front of the image and you are good to go. These carroza's are highly ornate so to showcase the craftsmanship best not to cover it with layers of foliage and flowers. Another option is to put the floral arrangement around the light posts. But you can also play with your arrangements, see below:
Left-Top- Spanish andas-inspired, low cut flowers arranged close to each other.
Left-Bottom- Spring Type arrangement employing two types of direction, upwards (meaning flowers at the center are placed vertically-straight) and sidewards (flowers at the side a bit drooping down)...best floral arrangement if you are the type who loves to see movement on top of the carroza.
Right-side- Use garlands. As an added option punctuate garlands with circular, oval or tear shaped floral arrangements (these flowers can be bundled together or arranged spring-style).
Other options:
1. Diagonal- Huge floral decoration at the top which gets thinner towards the bottom.
2. Ribbon- tie floral foams around the body and at the center in front of the image create a huge arrangement which will serve as the "knot"
3. Hanging Gardens- tie small separate floral arrangements at the light posts
4. Shredded- again on the light posts, arrange flowers drooping down like bundles of string beans
5. Over the top- Cover it with flowers
(and more...)
hello po. pano po ung base nyo sa garlands?
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