TRINIDAD, JANINE E.

BSCOM4A

SOCIO-ANTHROPOLOGY S

BLACK NAZARENE
THE LONGEST BLACK NAZARENE procession ever in the history of the annual tradition finished at around 6AM Tuesday. The procession was even longer than the Black Nazarenes journey from Mexico to the Philippines 405 years ago. The Black Nazarene procession took 22 hours to finish. It would have been a lot faster if the organizing committee. Last Sunday, January 8, President Aquino bared a terrorist plot aimed at disrupting the annual Black Nazarene procession. Eight million devotees didnt believe him. For security reasons, telephone companies cut off cut their services in downtown Manila. There was no cell phone signal during the Black Nazarene procession. Or as Globe users would say, just another ordinary day. On Monday, devotees marked the Black Nazarenes 405th anniversary. Yup, its been here that long, in fact, when the miraculous image arrived in the Philippines from Mexico. It was January 9 in Manila was the festival of The Black Nazarene. The Black Nazarene is a statue of Jesus, kneeling with the cross on his back with Jesus depicted as a black man. There are 2.5 million Filipinos went on pilgrimage to where this statue of Jesus is paraded, in the RC Church of Quiapo, Manila. Yesterday 2 people died. Considering there were 2.5M people who came, forgive me for saying, this was not a bad turn of events, many more could have died! Why do people go to this festival, risking their lives, even though one can see The Black Nazarene every day in the Church of Quiapo, any time? Well, they believe that it has to be on this festival day and mind you not on another day for this is the day of honouring The Black Nazarene that is its anniversary. Thus, if you want a blessing, you must turn up on that day at the Quiapo church, then you can hope for blessings or graces from Jesus to happen. These might be healing of the body or the realization of some private wishes or dreams, perhaps a good year of prosperity. The people believe that by just being able to look at the face of The Black Nazarene as it is paraded will get them blessings from Jesus. Even better if one gets to touch the carriage or even touch the statue itself, that will really ensure graces or favor from Jesus. Some cannot get any nearer, so, as an act of faith, they throw their towels to the carriage in the hope that it might reach and gets to touch the statue itself. That will give them comfort that what is required for a blessing has been met. Already, today in Manila, devotees are ensuring that the festival will continued in the next generation. Today boys as young as age 3 are now being trained to make vows and be a devotee of The Black Nazarene. This is religion in practice... from the ground.