Trim toenails, barefoot devotees of Black Nazarene told

In this photo, taken Monday, Jan. 2, 2017, a young boy gets some help from his adult companion to reach up and kiss the exposed toes of the Black Nazarene figure which is kept in a glass case inside Quiapo church. The annual procession on the Feast of the Black Nazarene will be observed on Jan. 9, 2016. (Photo by LYN RILLON/Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Devotees who will be walking barefoot during the hours-long “traslacion” of the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, should remember to trim their toenails.

The parochial vicar of Quiapo Church has this curious advice to the millions of Black Nazarene devotees who intend to join the procession on Jan. 9.

Fr. Douglas Badong, parochial vicar of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, on Monday said devotees who would take part in the traslacion should trim their toenails to avoid inflicting cuts on other devotees.

“You don’t need to get a pedicure, but just trim your toenails since long toenails can inflict injuries on [the devotee himself] or other devotees. It’s very basic but it’s one of the causes of injuries,” Badong said.

He issued the reminder at a news briefing on Monday as part of the preparations for the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Jan. 9, with a procession attended by millions of devotees.

In 2016, Quiapo Church estimated that more than 15 million devotees joined the procession, starting from Dec. 31, the thanksgiving procession, up to Jan. 9, the traslacion. Priests expect this crowd estimate to go up this year to 18 million.

“Every year, the numbers increase. We expect it to go up since Catholics and even non-Catholics join this. It has been declared an international day of pilgrimage,” Badong said.

Because of the sheer size of the crowd, Badong urged those too ill or those suffering from conditions such as hypertension not to join the procession.

“Be sure to rest, sleep and eat well before the procession, or else you will really faint. Once you’re part of the procession it will be hard to go out for a break. Devotees should be sprightly and healthy,” he said.

This year’s traslacion has the theme: “Pag-ibig ang buklod sa ganap na pagkakaisa (Love is the bond of unity).”

Priests from Quiapo Church urged devotees to cooperate with authorities to ensure that the procession run as smoothly as possible, with minimum accidents and injuries to devotees.

At Quirino Grandstand where the traslacion will begin, personnel of Luneta Park have begun preparing the 73 restroom cubicles for the millions of devotees.

The National Parks Development Committee director, Penelope Belmonte, said park workers would also install portalets for the devotees.