Massive religious procession in Philippines leaves one dead, dozens dizzy
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 09 January, 2016, 9:28pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 10 January, 2016, 3:17am
Agence France-Presse in Manila
Devotees climb on top of one another to touch the religious icon of the Black Nazarene during the annual religious procession in Manila. Photo: AP
Barefoot men and women praying for miracles hurled themselves above mammoth crowds in the Philippines yesterday to touch a religious icon in a frenzied Catholic parade that rescue workers said left one person dead.
Fervent scenes of devotion played out as a life-sized statue of Jesus, called the Black Nazarene, was wheeled through Manila’s narrow streets, home to one of the world’s largest religious events.
Risking life and limb, shoeless men and women chanting “Viva!” (Long Live) sought to touch the icon with white handkerchiefs or towels.
“If family members get sick we would give them sponge baths with it [the towel or handkerchief]. That way we wouldn’t spend money on doctors,” said Dang Villacorta, 36, wife of a Manila office messenger.
Tents mushroomed at a seaside park overnight on Friday as pilgrims, some sprawled on the grass on plastic ground sheets, waited for the parade to begin at daybreak.
“The Nazarene our Lord gave meaning to my life,” said Nino Barbo, a 30-year-old high school dropout with an upper arm tattoo and a metal earring.
The construction worker said he gave up a day’s pay for the sixth year in a row to touch the statue, which many Filipinos believe can heal the sick and bring good luck.
One of those seen rushing the icon-bearing float was a man holding aloft a baby.
Police said about 1.5 million people took part in the 7km parade, which runs from the park to the icon’s home inside the downtown Quiapo church, home to the Black Nazarene statue.
A devotee, center, grimaces as tens of thousands of Catholic devotees jostle to get closer to the image of the Black Nazarene. Photo: AP
A 27-year-old male participant lost consciousness as the sun bore down on the procession just before noon, said Philippine Red Cross secretary general Gwendolyn Pang .
“They [Red Cross doctors at the scene] could not revive him anymore and he was declared dead,” the secretary general added.
The Red Cross said about 220 people were treated for wounds, dizziness, and symptoms associated with low blood sugar, with 18 being sent to hospital.
Critics contend that the parade is idolatrous, but church authorities say it is a vibrant expression of faith in one of the world’s most fervently Catholic nations.
“The people reach out to it [the icon] because they have a personal relationship with God,” said Monsignor Hernando Coronel, the parish priest of Quiapo.
Crowned with thorns and bearing a cross, the Nazarene statue was brought to Manila by *Augustinian priests in 1607, early on in Spain’s 400-year colonial rule.
