5M devotees seen to join ‘Traslacion’
Credit to Author: CATHERINE A. MODESTO| Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2019 16:30:45 +0000
More than 5 million devotees are expected to join this year’s “Traslacion,” according to organizers of the Black Nazarene festival in Manila.
“The gathering is a huge one, and it increases by millions every year,” Msgr. Hernando Coronel, rector of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church) in Manila, said in a news briefing on Thursday.
The organizers’ estimate is twice the 2.5 million devotees expected by the police, as announced on Wednesday by National Capital Region Police Office chief Guillermo Eleazar.
The Traslacion, held every January 9, is a centuries-old Catholic practice of transferring the venerated statue of the Black Nazarene in an andas (carriage) from the Quirino Grandstand to the Quiapo Church.
Last year, the traslacion lasted almost 23 hours.
This year’s route is the same as last year’s.
The Traslacion will start at 12 midnight with a mass at the Quirino Grandstand. The procession will start after morning prayers at 4 a.m.
There will be 14 prayer stations to create “a prayerful atmosphere” and a “solemn procession.” These stations in which communal prayers are recited were introduced last year.
This way, attendees may prevent jostling against other devotees and injuries may be avoided, said Fr. Danichi Hui, parochial vicar of the Quiapo Church.
The stations will be set up at the Manila Hotel; National Museum; pedestrian underpass in P. Burgos corner Victoria (in front of the Manila City Hall); pedestrian underpass in Liwasang Bonifacio; Escolta Arc; Sta. Cruz Church; Arlegui corner Quezon Boulevard; Duque de Alba Street; Arlegui corner P. Casal, Canopy of Manuel L. Quezon University; San Sebastian Church, Puyat corner Guzman Street; and C. Palanca/Oscariz.
Hui advised those with health conditions not to participate in the procession.
Liturgical activities for the feast of Black Nazarene are also being held.
“Right now, we are at the fourth Novena Mass for the celebration of the feast of Black Nazarene, and the mass is held every 6 p.m.,” said Hui.
The novena masses started on Dec. 31, 2018 and will end on January 8. Collectively, the number of attendees in the feast and procession may reach 21 million, Hui said.
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