MANILA – Some 30,000 devotees on Thursday joined the blessing of the Jesus Nazarene replicas outside the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene along Quezon Boulevard in this city.
According to the Nazareno Operation Center, the blessing started at 1:30 p.m. at the footbridge near the Minor Basilica and the crowd reached around 30,000 at 5 p.m.
The Office of the Hijos De Nazareno (HDN) General Secretariat said participants, also known as “balangay”, brought some 1,100 accredited replicas of the Black Nazarene.
It said this does not include individuals who brought their unaccredited replicas.
The blessing of the replicas is part of the celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9.
The highlights of the annual celebration are the Fiesta Mass which is held at midnight of Jan. 9 and the Traslacion or the procession of the Jesus Nazareno image from the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta to the minor basilica. (PNA)