Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila: A Religious Celebration of Mardi Gras Intensity

Feast of the  Black Nazarene or Pista ng Itim na Nazareno-- happens every year on the 9th of January . Beginning with a holy Mass held in honor of  the Holy Nazarene on the first Fiday of the year, the celebration culminates with a grand  procession where the Black Nazarene, a life-sized,  dark-colored sculpture of  Jesus Christ, bearing the cross on his shoulder, is the focal point.

 The same day each year, thousands  of devotees in maroon-colored shirts and several replicas of the dark-colored statue become the usual sight around the Quiapo Church area and its surrounding streets.

Although crowded and, sometimes, chaotic, the mood during the feast is always festive. Thousands of people with ready smiles occupy the streets; the aroma of  varied street foods fill the air; and, on every corner, eager vendors with all sorts of religious souvenirs can be found. 

The Black Nazarene  procession  commemorates the Traslacion (transfer) of the image to its present shrine in Quiapo.Carved by an anonymous Mexican carpenter, the image of the Holy Nazarene came to  the Philiipines from Mexico in 1606 and was originally enshrined in the first Recollect Church in Bagumbayan (now called Luneta or Rizal Park), before it was transferred,. two years later, to the second Recollect Church of San Nicolas de Tolentino in Itramuros, and, finally,  to its present location in Quiapo Church between 1767 to 1770.