The Black Nazarene Translacion From A Cluless Girl

Every January 9th, one of the largest mobile crowds in the world happens in Manila. MILLIONS of devotees from across the Philippines squish and push their fellow devotees to touch and get close to the Black Nazarene. This causes road closues, a wholel area flooded with people, and a parade that covers a measly 5.8 km but lasts AT LEAST 15 hours (the fastest in 2024).

Just like many of you, I wondered what the fuss was about. Perhaps it's just an annual tradition for some, or something blindly followed, or something passed from one generation to another. I grew up Catholic, and I am probably now a spiritual stoic, but something drew me to the chaos of this annual event so this year my mom and I decided to go. Here's what I found out.

TERMS 

❤️‍🔥 Andas- the carriage in which the Black Nazarene is carried and toured in.

❤️‍🔥 Hijos- men/boys assigned volunteers/devotees who help the procession along. They are the ones protecting the Andas as it makes its way. They also have their own terms, which I will get into below: 

-Otso (eight) - The rope is knotted around someone's arm or hand the rope has the be raised for safety.

-Bewang (waist)- The rope has to be straightened

-Salya - Go forward.

❤️‍🔥 Tali/Lubid - The rope on which the andas is pulled from, touching the rope has miraculous effects as per devotees. Devotees even try to get strands from the rope itself as a religious souvenir perhaps to place on their home altars. 

❤️‍🔥 Dungaw - A meeting of the Nazarene and the Nuestra Señora del Carmen at San Sebastian Church. A show of maternal love between the King and Queen of Quiapo. 

❤️‍🔥 Caridad - Some devotees give food and drinks as to show their support to the Black Nazarene. I've witnessed people giving rice meals, ice cold water, simple sandwiches, and even hard-boiled eggs.

FUN FACTS

❤️‍🔥 While there are other official relics on display (there is still one inside Quiapo Church and one in Quirino Grandstand during the translacion) the Andas is the one people want to follow as it is believed to give more chances to grant your wishes. This is the same reason why half a million people go to the annual parade in Manila, touching the relic inside the church is nice but touching the relic outside is way better.

❤️‍🔥 People in the surrounding buildings throw water over the devotees to keep them refreshed, this is actually really helpful in Manila's tropical climate and the heat of the crowd!

❤️‍🔥  Shoes off! Any devotee who wants to come close to the Andas has to do so barefoot. This is for everyone's safety. Wearing shoes will hurt other feet and the shoulders of the people who you will inevitably climb on, should you want to touch the Andas. Plus, you will surely lose your shoes or crush them to bits should you wear any with the amount of people. 

❤️‍🔥 I've read from sources that a lot of devotees actually let you stand on their shoulders so you can touch the Andas. "Tapakan mo ako," or "Step on me," is a common phrase you can hear from devotees close to the Andas. Talk about community effort!

❤️‍🔥 Hourly Masses are held in Quiapo Church until the Black Nazarene comes back home. Yes, even if that means the next day. Due to the sheer volume of people attending these masses, Quiapo Church cannot host everyone inside. There are LED screens scattered around the area with sound systems, communion stations, and even ministers blessing everyone at the end of every mass. 

❤️‍🔥 There is a saying that the longer the procession and the more times the Andas struggles to get back to Quiapo Church, the harder the incoming year will be. Important to note that this 2026, the rope has broken off (but replaced!), 2 wheels have broken down and the Andas was stuck in one street for 4 hours... so not a good sign! 

Living abroad for so long, I tried my best to study the UK's culture but realised that I should also probably give some more love to my home country. 

I came curious about the chaos surrounding the Black Nazarene, but I found that the whole thing is actually a well-oiled machine. Sure, it looks hectic and crazy from the outside, but once you're there with the devotees of all ages, all walks of life, it's a very humbling experience. 

While there are thousands of security personnel and medics (mostly devotee volunteers!) on standby everywhere, the order of the Black Nazarene truly relies on the community culture of the devotees to keep itself safe. The Philippines is no stranger to tragic stampedes, and while the procession is at a high risk for a crowd surge or a stampede, there is an unwritten and unspoken rulebook understood by devotees. The crowd pushes and pulls, causing friction and yet flows like water. 

Devotees come to pray for their intentions, give thanks, ask for forgiveness for their sins, give their woes to the relic. At the end of the day, whatever reason people come for, they're all praying for some miracle in their lives—and you don't need to be a devotee to understand that.