Toddler braves sea of devotees, touches Black Nazarene

By: Marc Jayson Cayabyab - 10 years ago

Contributed video by Jayson Gario

MANILA, Philippines–Even children braved the dense crowd on Friday’s procession of the Black Nazarene.

A toddler was able to go up the andas (carriage) of the Black Nazarene as it went past the Manila City Hall Friday afternoon.

The child was able to touch the ebony-hued statue despite the frenzied crowd straining to get near the image.

Perhaps aware of the danger, the devotees themselves carried the toddler to the andas.

The toddler was then brought back away from the crowd while the audience cheered.

Devotees believe that touching the Black Nazarene would bless them.

The annual procession is attended by millions of devotees, making it one of the largest, if not the riskiest, religious gatherings in the country.

At least one devotee had died of cardiac arrest in the ongoing traslacion.

Police estimates set the crowd number in Quirino Grandstand where the procession started at one million.