More than two million
people braved rain, wind and crowds in order to touch the statue of
Jesus, and ask for a miracle.
Every year, the statue, known as the Black
Nazarene, is carried in procession through the streets of Quiapo
(Manila).
The celebration began at dawn last Sunday and went on
for 14 hours, attracting people from every walk of life, shouting “Viva
the Nazarene”.
Devotees followed the statue for about five kilometres
from Quiapo’s minor basilica to the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park.
About 400 devotees were hurt attempting to touch the statue.
“Every year, the number of devotees grows because they
see themselves in the image of the suffering and struggling Black
Nazarene,” Card Gaudencio Rosales, archbishop of Manila, told reporters.
The majority of them are “poor, ordinary Filipinos.”
The statue presents Jesus bent under the weight of the
Cross.
A Spanish Augustinian priest brought it to Manila in1607 on a
ship from Mexico.
According to tradition, a fire broke out on board but the image of Christ was miraculously spared, just taking on a darker hue.
Despite the damage, the people of Manila decided to
keep the image and honour it. Since then, it has been called the Black
Nazarene and many people believe they were healed just by touching it.
Over the centuries, the aura of miracle surrounding
the image of Christ has made the statue into a symbol of the Filipino
people.
A few years ago, the country’s bishops accepted to
have a copy made for Mindanao Christians, who are too far away to take
part in the Quiapo procession.
Instead, celebrations are held
simultaneously in Cagayan de Oro on 9 January, the feast day of the
Black Nazarene, and on Good Friday.
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