The Quiapo Church has concluded the Traslacion of the Black Nazarene as the image officially arrived at the Quiapo Church in Manila at 7:44 p.m. on Jan.9, earlier than the end of the procession in 2020.
Traslacion marks the transfer of the Black Nazarene, a 17th century image of Jesus Christ carrying His cross, from the Church of San Juan Bautista in Luneta to its new home, the Quiapo Church.
The parade of the image is believed to be miraculous and is considered the biggest religious event in the country, wherein millions of devotees participate.
The number of devotees is the main reason why the procession of the image takes too long before it arrives at Quiapo Church.
Intense security protocols were imposed, and thorough preparations were made for its most awaited return after a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Misa Mayor
Around 175,000 devotees attended the Misa Mayor honoring the Black Nazarene at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila at midnight on Tuesday.
The high Mass in celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene was officiated by Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Jose Advincula.
Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, Manila Vice Mayor Yul Servo Nieto, Malabon City Mayor Jeannie Sandoval, and other key officials joined the Eucharistic celebration.
The crowd increased to 1.3 million at around 3 a.m., but only 800,000 of them joined the procession as other devotees opted to stay for the “Pahalik” or kissing of the image at the Quirino Grandstand.
Aftermath at Grandstand
Meanwhile, the mayor said that more than 1,000 garbage bags were collected at the Quirino Grandstand after the Misa Mayor.
Around 5 a.m. when they started to clean up the trash left behind by the devotees, which was collected by members of the city government's Department of Public Services (DPS) and personnel of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Authorities said that the cleaning operation will continue as long as there are devotees in the area.
It added that around 12 big and small garbage trucks were deployed to collect the piles of garbage.
Rain or Shine
A sudden downpour occurred at around 5:15 a.m., just a few minutes before the procession started at the Quirino Grandstand at around 5 a.m.
Devotees said that it failed to dampen their passion and devotion to the Black Nazarene as they wove around the route of the Traslacion.
One of them, Mathilde, 70, has been a devotee for more than 30 years now.
“Tatlong taon din natigil ang prusisyon, kaya ngayong bumalik na eh hindi hadlang ang ulan—rain or shine, ika nga. Bahala na basta magawa lang naming mamanata sa poong Nazareno (The procession was stopped for three years, so now that it's back, the rain would not deter us from continuing our devotion to the Black Nazarene),” she said.
Henry, a 61-year-old and also a devotee for more than 30 years, said that no weather can stop them as the procession only happens once a year.
He also said that it was their way to show their sacrifices in return for the blessings that they had received.
Transportation
Due to several road closures, public utility jeepneys in (PUJs) in Manila were not able to ply their routes.
Some of them complained as they did not expect as many road closures as this year.
Despite the light rains, thousands of devotees were seen walking to the Quirino Grandstand. They said they could not get a ride on any public vehicle or even book via transportation applications due to road closures and signal jamming.
They also said that they did not expect rainy weather because it has not been raining in the past few days.
Cell signals jammed
Communication signals were shut down starting at 4:40 a.m. on the route of the Black Nazarene procession in Manila.
Some residents living the nearby areas such as Recto Avenue, Sampaloc, Sta. Cruz and Malate were also affected.
Many devotees were surprised by the signal interruption and had problems in contacting their family members who came to Manila for the procession.
The Manila Police District (MPD) initially announced the possibility of signal interruption, days ahead of the event but it did not disclose the exact time of its implementation.
Crowd estimate and route
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Brig. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a radio interview on Tuesday, Jan. 9, that around 3,300,000 devotees joined the Traslacion from Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church.
As the procession officially started around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, authorities said that they had recorded a total of 1,340,000 devotees gathered at Quirino Grandstand, where the Misa Mayor was also conducted at midnight before the procession.
As of 5:45 a.m., the image of the Black Nazarene passed Katigbak Road, where around 700,000 devotees participated, while 30,000 devotees were recorded in Quiapo Church.
As of 7 a.m., the image passed Padre Burgos Street, crossed Ayala Bridge at around 7:30 a.m., and turned left on Palanca Street at around 7:45 a.m. where devotees reached 830,000, while only 11,500 left at Quiapo Church.
As of 8:55 a.m., the crowd and the carriage of the Nazarene turned right on Quezon Boulevard and reached Arlegui Street at around 9:50 a.m. where devotees participating the procession raised to 1,008,000, while people at the Quiapo Church reached 60,500.
As of 11 a.m., it passed the corner of Farnecio Street, where only 530,000 devotees left at the procession, while people at the Quiapo Church raised to 71,700.
As of 2 p.m., the procession passed through Arlegui Street and reached Carcer Street, corner of Hidalgo Street, at around 2:07 p.m., where the number of devotees reached 1,000,000 from 1 p.m., and 112,900 in Quiapo Church.
As of 3:04 p.m., it arrived at San Sebastian Church, where the “Dungaw” rite was conducted. It reached Bilibid Viejo at around 4 p.m. and reached Gonzalo Puyat Street at around 4:20 p.m. where only 500,000 devotees were left at the procession.
Around 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., 800,000 devotees stayed at the procession, while 154,000 people were recorded in Quiapo Church.
The procession reached Villalobos Street in Quiapo at 7:10 p.m.
The image officially arrived at the Quiapo Church at 7:44 p.m.
'Flying bottled water'
Bottled water were thrown at devotees to keep them hydrated during the procession.
Many volunteers climbed posts and roofs to throw water bottles at them.
They said they just shout for water whenever they need it and the volunteers will throw them the bottled water.
Several volunteer groups also initiated a feeding program for the participating devotees.
Injured devotees
The Manila Disaster Risk and Reduction Office (DRRMO) said it successfully attended to all the devotees who needed medical assistance during the event.
Most of the medical concerns of the devotees who sought assistance from the Manila DRRMO were fractured feet and arms, minor lacerations, high blood pressure, fainting, and dizziness.
As of 3 p.m., it recorded 332 injured devotees, 12 of them were admitted to the nearby hospitals for observation.
Traslacion “Dungaw” ritual
On Tuesday, the Black Nazarene arrived at around 3:04 p.m. in the vicinity of San Sebastian Church in Quiapo where the “Dungaw”, one of the highlights of Traslacion, was be conducted.
During the “Dungaw” or “La Mirata” ritual, which is the historic practice of the San Sebastian and Quiapo churches, the Black Nazarene meets the image of Nuestra Señora del Carmen de San Sebastian.
Some people believe that the Dungaw is a recreation of the meeting between the Mother and Son at the Cross. However, Cabrito clarified that the ritual is a tradition that shows tribute to every patron.
Police said that the Dungaw was held earlier compared to 2020's Traslacion, where the Nazarene arrived at the San Sebastian Church at around 4 p.m.
Facemask advisory
Despite the continuous reminders issued by the authorities, there were still some devotees who did not follow the rules.
During the procession, devotees were seen not wearing face masks despite the advise of Manila Mayor Honey to avoid getting sick during the event.
Many devotees also climbed the carriage of the Black Nazarene or "andas," despite being prevented by marshals and volunteers of Hijos del Nazareno for a smoother and faster procession
Ropes snapped
Marshals and volunteers of Hijos del Nazareno helped in maneuvering the andas as its rope snapped at around 1 p.m. when it was about to turn right on Arlegui Street corner Quezon Boulevard.
The incident caused a short delay in the procession along Arlegui Street, which took more than two hours.
The rope was returned to Quiapo Church at around 1:40 p.m. by hundreds of devotees who kept holding on to it.
The event was generally "peaceful," according to the Philippine National Police (PNP) who deployed over 15,000 police in the area to ensure security and success of the procession.
According to the PNP, 3.3 million devotees participated in this year's Traslacion. No major incident was reported.
The number exceeded its estimated crowd of 2.3 million.