MPD: Black Nazarene procession has attracted 2 million devotees

Catholic devotees mount the image of the Black Nazarene on a hearse prior to a raucous procession to celebrate its feast day Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018, in Manila. A massive crowd of mostly barefoot Catholics joined an annual procession of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ under tight security amidst fears of possible attacks by Islamic extremists. (Photo by BULLIT MARQUEZ / AP)

This year’s Traslacion , the procession of the image of the Black Nazarene, had attracted more than two million devotees as it continued its journey through Quiapo in Manila on late Tuesday night.

According to an estimate by the Manila Police District (MPD), the crowd participating in the procession alone had reached 1.2 million devotees by 10:50 p.m.

Meanwhile, devotees flocked around Quiapo Church had reached 930,000.

As of this posting, Quiapo Church officials said the carriage of the Black Nazarene was in front of San Sebastian Church in Plaza del Carmen for the “Dungaw,” during which image of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel was taken out of San Sebastian Church to meet the Black Nazarene.

So far, the procession has been going on for 19 hours since the image left the Quirino Grandstand at around 5 a.m. /atm