Mary has long been named as “Queen of Heaven and Earth.” In addition, Mary has held the title “Queen of May” in many countries, as reflected in many traditional Marian hymns. These titles were confirmed by Pope Piux XII in his 1954 encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam in which he established the feast of the Queenship of Mary to be celebrated on May 31. (The celebration of this feast was later transferred to August 22.)
In Eastern churches, crowning Mary involved adding ornamentation to icons of Mary. This practice was honored by Pope Clement VIII when he added crowns to the Marian icon “Salus Populus Romani” in the St. Mary Major Basilica. In the western Church, parishes and private groups often process and crown an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary with flowers. This can be done on any solemnity or feast of Mary, but, in many countries, it takes place on May 1st. In the United States, it has become traditional to crown Mary on or around Mother’s Day. There is no official rite for a May Crowning ceremony, but it often consists of singing Marian hymns and reciting prayers such as the Litany of Loreto. The climax of the ceremony involves placing a crown of flowers on Mary’s head. This crown is often carried by a younger girl with Mary being crowned by the “May queen,” often one of the oldest girls. The traditional flowers used for the crown are hawthorn flowers, which are considered a symbol of hope, however many different flowers are used in contemporary practice. The flowers are often replaced with fresh flowers throughout the month.