Sampaguita Vendor

ByMaria

I took this picture when we went to Laguna, Philippines a few years back. This is a typical sight outside Catholic Churches in the country, vendors selling sampaguita leis. Parishioners likes to buy them as an offering to God or their favorite saints.
Sampaguita or Pikake in Hawaiian is made as leis for other occasions like graduations, birthdays, weddings and other special occasions. It is white in color and very fragrant. Most of the leis are almost always made with another fragrant flower called Ilang-ilang. The flower has five petals and are lime green in color. It has a very intoxicating smell that it is widely used in the perfume industry. Did you know that it is one of the secret ingredients in Chanel perfumes?
Anyways, back to the girl in the picture, what an honest way to earn a living, selling the most wonderfully fragrant flowers in the world.

Similar Posts

  • Tahitian Gardenia

    ByMaria

    Tahitian Gardenias are one of those flowers considered to be exotic. The smell of the flowers is heavenly. The plant grows tall up to at least ten feet and when it blooms the perfume permeates in the whole neighborhood. It’s a very prolific bloomer and the recent rains make it want to bloom some more….

  • |

    Calendula

    ByMaria

    Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) belongs to the  daisy family often known as marigolds.  It is also well known as Pot Marigold because during the old days calendula are utilized like herbs in a pot of stew hence the name “pot marigold”.

  • Orchid

    ByMaria

    </a I went to KCC Farmer's market last Saturday and as usual looking for some good deals and some new ideas to plant or to cook. The sight of the beautiful orchids displayed in one of the booths is really breathtaking. I just have to have one at least to be displayed in the living…

  • Vanilla Orchids

    ByMaria

    I was successful enough to grow this vanilla plant and made it flower hoping I will get the vanilla beans that comes after flowering. But unfortunately, no matter how I tried to pollinate the flowers, no luck with the beans. I guess, I have to look for the bee that does the job properly.

  • Puakenikeni

    ByMaria

    I did not know anything about puakenikeni flowers until my daughter requested a lei made of this fragrant flowers to send to her on her birthday. She was working in Las Vegas at the time. So I went looking in every florist shops but nobody seemed to have it. Her birthday month is January and…