𝗞𝘂𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝘆𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗔𝘁𝗯𝗽. 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝘆. 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼
The Traslación of the Black Nazarene is oftentimes linked with “popular piety” or “people’s spirituality”. Held every 9th of January, this year is my second time to personally witness “Traslación”, which is a symbolic gesture that emulates Christ’s suffering as he was carrying his cross en route to his crucifixion in Golgotha.
“Traslación,” in Spanish means “passage” or “moving something from one place to another”.
The Vatican described “popular piety” as “diverse expressions of a private or community nature which, in the context of the Christian faith, are inspired predominantly not by the sacred liturgy but by forms deriving from a particular nation or people or from their culture.”
For skeptics and critics, the Traslación is a form of idolatry. But the devotion to the Nazareno is a well-known example of popular piety in the Philippines, and is a deeply ingrained cultural facet of Filipino Catholicism.
The veneration of the image of the Nazareno was recognized by Pope Innocent X in 1650. In 1880, Pope Pius VII gave his Apostolic Blessing which granted plenary indulgence to those who will devoutly pray before the icon.
St. John Paul II, in a 1982 speech, said popular piety is simply “faith deeply rooted in a particular culture, immersed in the very fiber of hearts and ideas. Above all, it is generally shared by people at large who are then a people of God.”
Pope Francis recently noted in a speech last December 2024 that “Popular piety communicates the Christian faith and the cultural values of a given people, uniting hearts and building community”.
“Popular piety strengthens the communal fabric of society and nurtures ‘constructive citizenship’, enabling collaboration with secular, civil and political institutions in the service of each person, beginning with the poor, for an integral human growth and the care of the environment,” Pope Francis added.
In 1608, the icon was enshrined at the Recollect Church of San Nicolás de Tolentino in the walled city of Intramuros. It was moved to the Saint John the Baptist Church (now known as the Quiapo Church) on January 9, 1787.
The statue is believed to have magical and healing powers that can heal illnesses and grant miracles.
Large crowds donned in predominantly maroon and yellow shirts wave white towels in the air as they forcefully gather towards the carriage called “andas”, as it crawled through the generally narrow roads of the city.
Many devotees join the processions as part of their “panata” (vow) which is usually carried out as a plea to God or as thanksgiving for healing, blessing, or granting of/granted wish.
Devotees freely embrace “hirap” in performing their devotional “panata” (vow) in order that people they love might experience “ginhawa”.
They believe that walking barefoot, wiping the image with the towels, holding and pulling the ropes of the andas, and even climbing the carriage, will get them closer to achieving their prayers.
Devotees use physical force to aggressively touch the either the image mounted on the carriage andas or the rope due to the belief that these possesses great sanctity as holding them is closer to imitating the image bearing the Cross.
The Nazareno is transferred from the Minor Basilica to the Luneta Grandstand a day or two before the annual procession. After leaving the Luneta Grandstand, the procession then passes through the narrow streets of Manila’s San Miguel and Quiapo districts before ending at the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno.
A feature of Traslación is 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.
The 2012 Traslación is still the longest in recorded history that lasted for 22 hours. The Black Nazarene arrived at Plaza Miranda around 5:15 the next morning after leaving the Luneta Grandstand as one of the Ándas’ wheels broke early in the procession and the rope pulling the Ándas broke as the image was near the Liwasang Bonifacio.
It is followed by 2017 (21 hours, 58 minutes), 2018 (21 hours, 54 minutes), 2019 (21 hours, 13 minutes), 2025 (20 hours, 45 minutes), 2016 (20 hours, 9 minutes), 2015 (19 hours, 32 minutes), and 2014 (18 hours, 25 minutes).
From 2021 to 2023, the Traslación was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year is my second time to witness the Traslación of the Black Nazarene which ended 20 hours and 45 minutes while last year was my first that took 14 hours and 59 minutes.
I remember my father attending the annual Traslación until he stopped when he was diagnosed with diabetes. It will be dangerous for him to walk barefoot like the other devotees due to the possibility of wounds.
An estimated 8,124,050 devotees participated in the 2025 procession while the highest number was in 2014 with an estimated 10 million participants.
Filipino Catholics are known for having sincere, enormous, and extreme expressions of
piety considering that the country has the third-largest Catholic population in the world.
The fervent devotion and faith shown by devotees became a prime manifestation of the fusion of Catholic and secular beliefs and practices of Filipinos.
Viva Senyor Hesus Nazareno!
(𝑃𝑒𝑦𝑢𝑝𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠. 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑦. 𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑠 𝑅. 𝐺𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑟𝑠’ 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑜 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑧 𝐵𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐵𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠. 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠, 𝑒-𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜@𝑠𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑧.𝑐𝑜𝑚, 𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 0908-8665786.)
