Sampaguita garlands

What it is

A sampaguita garland is a loop of closed buds strung end to end on cotton thread, slim enough to wrap around a finger. A pendant hangs from the bottom. It is often a single greenish yellow ylang-ylang flower, a champaca, or a small cluster of coloured blooms. Fancier versions for guests of honour are thicker, with several strands twisted together and ribbons added. The buds open in the evening, and the scent is strongest in the first hours.

How it works

Buds are picked very early in the morning, before they open, and strung the same day. Much of the work is done at home by families, including children, in flower growing towns around Manila. San Pedro in Laguna province has long been known for the trade and holds a sampaguita festival. Vendors sell the garlands by the piece at church doors, in markets and between cars at traffic lights. Many sellers are poor, and for them the garlands are a daily living.

What it means

For many Filipinos the flower stands for purity, simplicity and devotion. Catholics hang the garlands on statues of the Virgin Mary, the Santo Niño and the saints, at home and in church. At public events a garland is placed around the neck of each honoured guest. Schools garland their graduates. The plant itself is not native to the islands. It is thought to have come from South Asia long ago, and the same species is the jasmine of Indian hair garlands and Hawaiian pikake lei.

How to take part

1. Buy a few strings from a vendor outside a church such as Quiapo Church in Manila.
2. Leave one at the foot of an image as an offering, or hang it in your room for the scent.
3. Pay the asking price without hard bargaining. It is small.

Good manners

• When a garland is placed around your neck at an event, keep it on until the ceremony ends.
• Many sellers are children. Be kind, and do not photograph them without asking.

The flowers

Arabian jasmineA small white jasmine with a strong, sweet scent, treasured in Asia for garlands and ceremoniesYlang-ylangA tropical tree with highly fragrant yellow flowers used for perfume and decorationChampakA tall tree with fragrant yellow to orange flowers, prized in South and Southeast AsiaGarlandA string or braid of flowers, leaves, or other materials for decoration or ceremony

Sources and further reading

• Jasminum sambac on Wikipedia