Nazarene feast in 2023 seen to draw more devotees

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the suspension of the annual procession of the Black Nazarene’s image, known as the traslacion, the Quiapo Church administration expects more devotees to participate in next year’s feast with the resumption of in-person activities that were previously halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fr. Earl Allyson Valdez, spokesman for the Quiapo Church, said mass celebrations would resume at the Quirino Grandstand during the feast of the Black Nazarene as well as the hourly masses in the run-up to Jan. 9 and a tweaked implementation of the “pahalik.”

“We have lined up many events such as the celebrations at Quiapo Church, particularly during the first Sunday of 2023 and the usual Friday mass,” Valdez said yesterday.

Starting on Jan. 8, Valdez said 33 consecutive masses would be celebrated for the devotees.

The conduct of the “pahalik” will resume, but without the actual kissing of the image of the Black Nazarene, he said.

“We will resume the traditional pahalik, which will be called ‘pagbibigay pugay’ as devotees are prohibited from kissing the image, but they can approach and touch the Black Nazarene,” Valdez explained.

Every Jan. 9, millions of devotees of the Black Nazarene join the traslacion to commemorate the transfer of the venerated image from Intramuros to Quiapo Church in 1767.

The annual procession has been suspended since 2021 due to the pandemic.

“We hope that when it’s already safe, maybe in the succeeding years we can resume the traditional procession,” Valdez said.