K - Kalachuchi

People all around the world know this flower as "Plumeria," but here in the Philippines, we call it "Kalachuchi." A very sweet smelling flower, and beautiful, too... but, this is a flower you should never give a Filipina (a woman from the Philippines), because for some reasons, this flower is associated with cemeteries. I don't know why... back when I was young, I loved the smell of this flower, but whenever I would pick a fallen flower off the ground while vacationing in my maternal hometown, older cousins would tell me it's a flower for the dead - because people there would offer the flowers to the graves of their dead loves ones.

I don't know if the stigma was still there, but nevertheless, I still love how this flower smells. Normal color would be the white one (sometimes with a hint of yellow inside), but this unique looking kalachuchi I saw at the grounds of EDSA Shrine in Ortigas.

*** Jenn ***