Every year on January 8-9, millions of Filipinos gather in Manila for a procession of the Black Nazarene, Poong itim na Nazareno, a life-sized statue of a suffering Jesus fallen under the weight of the cross, along a 6.5 km route from Rizal (Luneta) Park to the minor basilica in Quiapo. The procession usually takes 14 to 22 hours, and sometimes even longer. The procession wends its way very slowly through the streets, able only to move slowly because of the crowds who descend around it, and usually makes it to the church late in the night. Devotees try to climb up on the carriage to touch the Nazarene or the cross. Wiping cloth on the statue is believed to “rub off” the miraculous power and curative abilities of the statue onto the cloth.

This video is part of Catholics & Cultures, an initiative of the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at the College of the Holy Cross. Learn more at www.catholicsandcultures.org.

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