Feast of Black Nazarene..What can you say?

[godsaint]

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The Black Nazarene is a life-sized statue of Christ that a priest bought in Mexico and brought to Manila in 1606. Since 1787 the statue has been housed at Saint John the Baptist Church in Quiapo. For more than 200 years the church has been placing the statue on a gilded carriage every January and pulling it through the streets of Quiapo. People who touch it are reported to sometimes be healed of diseases. Catholics come from all over Manila on the chance that they will be able to get close enough to touch the image and perhaps receive a miracle. They also throw towels to the police who guard the statue and ask them to rub the towel on the statue in hopes of carrying some of that power away with them...

The Philippines is the only country in Asia where Roman Catholics make up a majority of the population.

The statue is also brought out on Good Friday.

If you decide to take part in the event, be prepared. Most in the crowd go barefoot as a sign of humility as they follow the statue. A few dozen people a year pass out and must be taken away by ambulance. And there is at least a small risk of being trampled.

The feast and procession, though, are a truly Filipino experience


For me,I dont argue with the tradition for I myself is born Catholic.But what is on my mind is why do people continue to flock the procession every year?Is it a form of idolatry which is a mortal sin?Why people risk their live to touch this patron for infact it is based everyday in the chuch of Quiapo.Why not touch it during mass and not during the feast only?Does miracle only happens during the procession?Crimes are rampant during the Feast..Pickpockettng,snatching,risk of being trampled ,males taking advantage of the crowd and drunks are also with the processions.

[giddyboy]

good...but to the point of fanaticism? no.

"religious fanaticism - considered by some to be the most extreme form of religious fundamentalism.
Frequently the norms of the society are greatly diluted versions from those of the religion in the area. Therefore an individual who is obedient to his religion is often seen as a fanatic. Of course it is also possible that the individual is going beyond the norms of the religion."
---wikipedia

[giddyboy]

This is the religious equivalent of the wowowee stampede...worse, this is done every year...

tv patrol news tonight: "2 dead, 30 injured in Nazareno stampede..."

[godsaint]

every year na lang gyud na dunay patay.After that ang black Nazarene ibalik na sa church unya gamay na lang sad manimba dha.If people really believe in miracle of the B;ack Nazarene,why not pray inside the church?Why not pray to the real God not a god?Mau unta ma langit ang ilang kalag.

[erwin_rommel]

imo, God will be more pleased with us if we go to mass every sunday than to join this event

[cebu-future]

Pasikat ra na sila every year. Karon headlines jud sila sa tanan TV networks.

[LytSlpr]

as usual, na'ay mamatay. devotion can be expressed in some other ways.

[cai28]

sometimes people maybe because of extreme poverty.. i asa ang ila life sa faith. so sad but mao na ang reality.

[weeker]

This is so paganist practice..when will we ever learn?

[sirius]

This is so paganist practice..when will we ever learn?

i agree