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The Black Nazarene (Spanish: El Nazareno Negro, Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, Filipino: Poóng Itím na Nazareno, Hesus Nazareno[1]) is a life-sized image of a dark-skinned, kneeling Jesus Christ carrying the Cross enshrined in the Minor of the Black Nazarene in the Quiapo district of the City of , .[2]

The Black Nazarene was carved by an unknown Mexican from a dark wood in the 16th century in and then transported to the Philippines in 1606.[2][3] It depicts Jesus en route to his crucifixion. Innocent X granted recognition to the lay of Cristo Jesús Nazareno in 1650 for the promotion of the devotion to Jesus through the .[3] It was housed in several churches near Manila in the early decades, arriving in in 1787 where it has been enshrined ever since.[3] The icon is renowned in the Philippines and is considered by many Filipino Catholics to be miraculous; its mere touch reputed to cure disease.[2][3] It attracts homage by numerous devotees and major every year.[3][4]

The image (in recent years a composite replica) is brought out of its in three times a year: (the anniversary of the icon's translation), (the Nazarene's liturgical feast, commemorating the culmination of the Passion), and December 31 (New Year's Eve, the first day of its annual ).[3][5] The January 9 procession re-enacts the image's Traslación (literally "transfer") in 1787, or "solemn transfer" to the Minor Basilica from its original shrine inside .[6][7] The January 9 Traslación is the largest procession, drawing thousands of devotees thronging to touch the icon and lasting 22 hours at the most.[7][8][9]

The Black Nazarene is venerated by Filipino devotees every Friday. Along with the Santo Niño (Child Jesus), it is the most popular object of devotion in the Philippines.[10] A similar image called is venerated in Portobelo, .[11]

The image was made by an anonymous Mexican sculptor and arrived in Manila via galleon from , Mexico on May 31, 1606. Traditional accounts attribute the color of the image to votive candles burning before the image, although the most widespread belief is that it was charred by fire on the galleon that brought it from Mexico.

Monsignor Sabino A. Vengco Jr. from Loyola School of Theology meanwhile noted that the image was not charred but in fact dark through to its core, as it was carved from mesquite wood. Vengco based this claim on personal research in Mexico, where he said the wood was a popular medium in the period the image was carved. He also likened it to Our Lady of , another popular image of similar provenance and appearance.[12]

The image was first enshrined in the Church of San Juan Bautista of the Augustinian Recollects in Bagumbayan, Luneta (the area of the church first demolished in 1644 then finally destroyed during the British occupation of Manila is now part of the cascade of & Maria Orosa Avenue). In 1608, the image was transferred to the Church of San Nicolas de Tolentino (popularly known as the "Recoletos Church") inside Intramuros. It was enshrined in the mayor (high )[13] of the church until both the church and the image perished as a result of the bombardment and the flames of Manila during its liberation in 1945.

On January 9, 1787, the Augustinian Recollects donated a copy of the image to the Church of the Camisa (one of Quiapo Church's original names). This donation later on was celebrated by the faithful every January 9 by means of a procession (henceforth called the Traslación) from Intramuros (its original home, San Nicolás de Tolentino Church; later from outside ) back to Quiapo.

A still-persistent misconception is that the icon in Quiapo Church is the original image. While the original image was always in the main altar away from the crowds, leaving only for a procession on , the image enshrined in Quiapo, which has withstood four centuries of fires, earthquakes, and the Second World War, was available for physical veneration by devotees who attested to its miraculous powers.

The image presently enshrined above the main altar of Quiapo Church is a composite of the head of the Recollects' replica and the body of a replica sculpted by renowned Filipino santero (-maker) Gener Maglaqui, who was commissioned by the Archdiocese of Manila. The other composite comprises the body of the Recollects' replica and the head of the Maglaqui replica. Enshrined in a different part of the Basilica, it is the second composite which is used in the three major processions. This arrangement began in the 1990s because of security concerns and to better protect the icon; until then, the image donated in the 18th century was used during processions.

Every January 9, the Traslación of the Black Nazarene (commemorating the "solemn transfer" of the image's copy from San Nicolás de Tolentino in Intramuros to Quiapo) makes its way along the streets of Quiapo, with attendees reaching up to 220 thousand devotees [14]. In recent years a persistent misconception has the Traslación being repeatedly referred to (by the media as well as unscrupulous politicians) as mostly the "Feast of the Black Nazarene" (Pistá ng Itím na Nazareno), and sometimes the "Feast of Quiapo" (Pistá ng Quiapo), which despite the chaotic yet festive atmosphere are far from correct: the Black Nazarene's liturgical commemoration is on Good Friday (the second date of the year on which the image is processed). The basilica's parochial feast day, meanwhile, is on June 24 (concurrent with Manila Day) – the birthday of its titular, .

In recent years, the processional route was altered due to a rise in accidents, to afford other neighbourhoods off the traditional route a chance to participate, and because of structural deficiencies in nearby bridges. It is normally only a school holiday for the schools near the processional route, but for the first time in the city's history, Mayor of Manila in 2014 declared the day a special non-working holiday due to the impassability of some thoroughfares and projected congestion in others.

As per custom, the Black Nazarene leaves the Minor Basilica a day or two before the annual procession, either in a public fashion or clandestinely. Since 2016, the procession begins at around 05:30 AM PST (GMT+8) after a solemn Midnight at the (usually presided by the of the Minor Basilica but with the of Manila preaching the sermon), followed hours later by Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. It ends in Quiapo in late night of the same day or early the following morning, depending on how long the image has travelled. Some participants choose to wait for the image inside the Minor Basilica to greet it, while most devotees walk throughout the whole processional route. All devotees wear maroon and yellow like the image, and they walk barefoot as a form of penance and in emulation of Christ's walk to Golgotha. Authorities estimate that over 500,000 devotees strode barefoot in the 2013 procession, which whole almost week long event was attended by 9 million people.[15] Attendees include families of devotees, tourists, and members of devotees' associations throughout the country and overseas, all carrying their long estandartes (religious gonfalon) usually coloured maroon or white and embroidered in and emblazoned with the image and the association name.

Devotees around the "Ándas" of the Black Nazarene

The Black Nazarene is processed upon the Ándas, and traditionally only men were permitted to be mamámasán ("bearers"), the devotees pulling the wheeled Ándas by its two large ropes. In recent years, female mamámasán have been allowed to participate, with pregnant women barred for safety reasons. There is also the custom of vying to touch the Kanang Balikat, or the rope to the side of the image’s right shoulder. Folk belief holds it to possesses great sanctity, as it is closer to imitating the image bearing the Cross.

Marshals from the Minor Basilica, known as the Hijos del Nazareno ("Sons of the Nazarene"), form an honour guard around the image, and are the only people permitted to ride the Ándas for the duration of the Traslación. The Hijos – distinguishes from maroon-clad devotees by their yellow and white shirts – have the primary task of protecting the icon from damage and directing the mamámasán in front and behind using hand gestures, voice commands (sometimes through a megaphone), and whistle signals. In addition, they help devotees clamber up onto the Ándas to briefly touch the icon’s cross, and wipe the image with cloths tossed at them. The wiping of cloth on the image, which is also done during the Pahalík ("kissing") ritual held the eve of the Traslación, follows the folk belief that cloth can absorb the powers of a holy object (usually and specifically its curative abilities). This sanctity-through-contact descends from the ancient custom of ex brandea (cloth wiped on the bodies or tombs of the Twelve Apostles), itself part of the wider category of Third-class relics.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Nazarene