Traslacion of the Black Nazarene as ‘popular piety’

The Traslacion of the Black Nazarene is oftentimes linked with “popular piety” or “people’s spirituality.”

Held every 9th of January, this year is my second time to personally witness “traslacion,” which is a symbolic gesture that emulates Christ’s suffering as he was carrying his cross en route to his crucifixion in Golgotha.

“Traslacion,” in Spanish means “passage” or “moving something from one place to another.”

The Vatican described “popular piety” as “diverse expressions of a private or community nature which, in the context of the Christian faith, are inspired predominantly not by the sacred liturgy but by forms deriving from a particular nation or people or from their culture.”

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For skeptics and critics, the traslacion is a form of idolatry. But the devotion to the Nazareno is a well-known example of popular piety in the Philippines, and is a deeply ingrained cultural facet of Filipino Catholicism.

The veneration of the image of the Nazareno was recognized by Pope Innocent X in 1650. In 1880, Pope Pius VII gave his Apostolic Blessing which granted plenary indulgence to those who will devoutly pray before the icon.

St. John Paul II, in a 1982 speech, said popular piety is simply “faith deeply rooted in a particular culture, immersed in the very fiber of hearts and ideas. Above all, it is generally shared by people at large who are then a people of God.”

Pope Francis recently noted in a speech last December 2024 that “Popular piety communicates the Christian faith and the cultural values of a given people, uniting hearts and building community.”

“Popular piety strengthens the communal fabric of society and nurtures “constructive citizenship,” enabling collaboration with secular, civil and political institutions “in the service of each person, beginning with the poor, for an integral human growth and the care of the environment,” Pope Francis added.

In 1608, the icon was enshrined at the Recollect church of San Nicolás de Tolentino in the walled city of Intramuros. It was moved to the Saint John the Baptist Church (now known as the Quiapo Church) on January 9, 1787.

The statue is believed to have magical and healing powers that can heal illnesses and grant miracles.

Large crowds donned in predominantly maroon and yellow shirts wave white towels in the air as they forcefully gather towards the carriage called “andas” as it crawled through the generally narrow roads of the city.

Many devotees join the processions as part of their “panata” (vow) which is usually carried out as a plea to God or as thanksgiving for healing, blessing, or granting of/granted wish.

Devotees freely embrace “hirap” in performing their devotional “panata” (vow) in order that people they love might experience “ginhawa.”

They believe that walking barefoot, wiping the image with the towels, holding and pulling the ropes of the andas, and even climbing the carriage, will get them closer to achieving their prayers.

Devotees use physical force to aggressively touch either the image mounted on the carriage andas or the rope due to the belief that these possesses great sanctity as holding them is closer to imitating the image bearing the Cross.

The Nazareno is transferred from the the Minor Basilica to the Luneta Grandstand a day or two before the annual procession. After leaving the Luneta Grandstand, the procession then passes through the narrow streets of Manila’s San Miguel and Quiapo districts before ending at the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno.

A feature of traslacion is the “Dungaw” or “La Mirata” ritual, which is the historic practice of the San Sebastian and Quiapo churches, the Black Nazarene meets the image of Nuestra Señora del Carmen de San Sebastian.

The 2012 Traslación is still the longest in recorded history that  lasted for 22 hours. The Black Nazarene arrived at Plaza Miranda around 5:15 o’clock the next morning after leaving the Luneta Grandstand as one of the Ándas’ wheels broke early in the procession and the rope pulling the Ándas broke as the image was near the Liwasang Bonifacio.

It is followed by 2017 (21 hours, 58 minutes), 2018 (21 hours, 54 minutes), 2019 (21 hours, 13 minutes), 2025, 2016 (20 hours, 9 minutes), 2015 (19 hours, 32 minutes), and 2014 (18 hours, 25 minutes).

From 2021 to 2023, the Traslación was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year is my second time to witness the Traslacion of the Black Nazarene which ended 20 hours and 45 minutes while last year was my first that took 14 hours and 59 minutes.

I remember my father attending the annual Traslacion until he stopped when he was diagnosed with diabetes. It will be dangerous for him to walk barefooted like the other devotees due to the possibility of wounds.

An estimated 8,124,050 devotees participated in the 2025 procession while the highest number was in 2014 with an estimated 10 million participants

Filipino Catholics are known for having sincere, enormous, and extreme expressions of piety considering that the country has the third-largest Catholic population in the world.

The fervent devotion and faith shown by devotees became a prime manifestation of the fusion of Catholic and secular beliefs and practices of Filipinos.

Viva Senyor Hesus Nazareno!

(Peyups is the moniker of University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail [email protected], or call 0908-8665786.)