By Minka Klaudia Tiangco The image of the Black Nazarene made a stop at the Plaza Carmen in front of the Minor Basilica of San Sebastian for the traditional “Dungaw” (gaze) ritual at about 4:33 p.m. after a 12-hour procession. (Photo via Minka Klaudia Tiangco) The Black Nazarene's earlier arrival at the church compared to previous years can be attributed to the shorter route taken by the procession this year. The image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was also dressed in record time, at about 10 a.m. instead of 12 noon, said Fr. Rommel Rubia of San Sebastian Church. Cries of "Viva!" and the sound of church bells filled the air as the image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was brought out of the church to greet the wooden statue of Jesus Christ kneeling under a cross. Thousands of devotees kneeled as the Virgin Mary greeted her son. Devotees formed a human barricade to give the Black Nazarene enough space to greet his mother in front of the church without being crowded by hundreds and thousands of the faithful. In an earlier press briefing, Fr. Edgar Tubio, OAR, said they tried to bring the images of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ closer this year. "Sisikapin natin mapalapit ang image ng Poong Nazareno. Sisikapin sa tulong ng hijos de Nazareno at pulis. May measures na gagawin para ‘dungaw’ talaga ang mangyari, hindi silip lang (We will work hard to bring the image of the Black Nazarene closer, with the help of the hijos de Nazareno and the police. Some measures will be implemented to ensure that the Virgin Mary will get to gaze fully at the Black Nazarene and not just peek)," he said. The Dungaw ended after about 10 minutes and the Black Nazarene continued its procession to Quiapo. This is the seventh time that the Dungaw, which is the only stop that the Black Nazarene makes on the way to its home in Quiapo Church, was held. Rubia said the Dungaw is the "feminine" aspect of the "masculine" Traslacion. He explained that more men participate in the actual procession while women and their children usually flock to the San Sebastian Church to watch the Dungaw instead. Sister Ingrid Guerina, the nun who dressed the image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel before the event, clarified that the Dungaw is not meant to reenact any scenes in the Bible. "The Dungaw is a religious courtesy, not the encounter of the Mother with her sorrowful Jesus during the Crucifixion. The real purpose of the Dungaw is the Dungaw," she said.