Thousands of Filipinos devotees marches on the feast of the Black Nazarene

Catholic faithful marched in their thousands joined last Sunday, January 8, “walk of faith” in the streets of Manila for the historic statue of Jesus Christ, which is believed to possess miraculous powers. that gives its devotees their personal wish

Church officials said that the “walk of faith” attracted more than 80,000 people which began after a midnight mass for the Black Nazarene statue.

Filipinos Black Nazarene devotees believed that by touching, wiping the image with towels or getting near to the statue can lead to the healing of incurable ailments and will be granted a request.

The original wooden statue was brought to the Philippines during the Spanish colonial rule in the early 1600s,  

Filipinos devotees believe that it got its dark color after enduring a fire aboard a ship en route from Mexico.

The “Walk of Life” replaced the traditional frenzied procession which used to involve hundreds of thousands of believers thronging a life-sized statue as it was pulled through the streets on a float.

The pandemic forced the activity to be cancelled for two straight years

As a health precaution, the organizers of this year’s event held the activity a day before the feast of the Black Nazarene, which falls on Jan. 9. The activity also did not push the display of the venerated statue in the hope of reducing crowd numbers.

The almost six-kilometer (3.7-mile) “walk of life” route ended at Quiapo Church, where the Black Nazarene is enshrined.

Devotees carrying candles or small replicas of the Black Nazarene poured through various narrow streets near the Quiapo Church in the early hours of the morning. 

In the weeks leading up to Sunday’s walk, the statue was taken to churches around the city and nearby provinces to give worshippers the chance to see and touch it in the hope of avoiding a huge crowd on the feast day.