The Black Nazarene is a life-sized
wooden carving of Jesus for his crucifixion while bearing a cross. It was
carved in Mexico then brought in the Philippines in 1606.
Annually, Manileños celebrates a tradition called Traslación
(“transfer” or “passage”) which re-enacts the statue being moved in 1787 from
Intramuros to the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (also known as Quiapo
Church).
Take it from us, there’s gonna be a mamoth crowd so
it’s a must to know where the procession may pass through. The Black Nazarene will
be moved to Quirino Grandstand beforehand as the walk will start at around
5:00am. From there, it will make its way back to Minor Basilica of the Black
Nazarene. Expectedly, it’ll arrive late at night on the same day or the following
morning already.
If you happen to be in Manila during this event,
there’s nothing to worry about as the government is extending its full effort
to keep everyone safe and we’re here to give you some notes for you to be
prepared for this upcoming event:
SUSPENDED WORK IN GOVERNMENT OFFICES AND CLASSES IN
MANILA
To give way to the flock of million devotees, the
mayor of Manila declared January 09, 2019 as a holiday in the whole city. But,
exempted in the said announcement are those working in the disaster and risk
reduction management, health and sanitation, and maintaining peace and order
such as security personnel and traffic enforcers.
PHONE COVERAGE IN THE AREA WILL BE SHUT DOWN
If you got some errands to attend to during that day,
better reschedule them as early as possible. You wouldn’t want to get caught up
in the big crowd right? And in addition, mobile signals may be jammed around
the area and drones will be banned as an extra precautionary measure.
TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURES
Assessments in some parts of the city where the Black
Nazarene may pass through will also be conducted by government agencies up
until the event itself takes place. Roads or bridges that seem unable to bear
the weight of the crowd will not be passed through for a solemn procession or
traslacion.
MILLIONS OF DEVOTEES SCRAMBLE TO TOUCH THE IMAGE OF JESUS
It’s no doubt why lots of people attend this huge celebration;
the Black Nazarene is believed to be miraculous, granting good health, and
protection from terminal sickness. Some don’t mind walking up to 6-kilometers
and in up to 22 hours barefoot to show empathy and imitate Christ’s walk to
Golgotha. Attendees are all in full hope that they’ll get a chance to kiss or wipe
their towels to the miraculous image.
Given that the event will have numerous attendees, it
is inevitable that there may be minor and major cases of incidents or injuries,
that’s why there are medical personnel on stand by to handle such situations
quickly. Senior citizens, pregnant women, children, disabled, and even
intoxicated people are also discouraged from joining the parade. So even if you’re
just a mere spectator, you better be extra careful, mindful of your things, and
attentive to your surroundings.
Overall, the whole traslacion shows how strong the
Christian faith of each Filipinos is and how one’s devotion can touch and
inspire the whole world. And to witness such gathering of millions is something
you don’t commonly see everyday.
***
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