Aside from the cancellation of the much-awaited Traslacion procession on Jan. 9, 2023, devotees of the Black Nazarene are encouraged to attend the nine-day novena masses at the Quiapo Church in Manila to further avoid crowds in the area.
Quiapo Church Attached Priest Fr. Earl Allyson Valdez encouraged devotees of the revered Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno to visit the Quiapo Church not only on January 9 “but also during the holding of the novena masses from December 31 to January 8 to avoid crowds as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus.”
Organizers of the feast of the Traslacion said some of the traditional activities will once again be observed for next year’s celebration such as the transfer of the venerated image of the Black Nazarene at the Quirino Grandstand for the “Pagbibigay Pugay” instead of the “Pahalik.”
The Quiapo Church, (Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene or St. John the Baptist Parish) and the local government of Manila have decided to forego for the third time the traditional crowd-drawing traslacion procession on Jan. 9, 2023, as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus.
The image of the Black Nazarene will be at the Quirino Grandstand from Jan. 7 to 9. Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula will preside over the fiesta high mass on Jan. 9 at 12 midnight.
To further decongest the area around the Quiapo Church, the localized traslacion or the pilgrim visit of the image of the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno to the different churches in Luzon and the National Capital Region will also be held next year.