MANILA, Philippines — A total of 4,500 devotees have already gathered at Quiapo Church, Manila for the Feast of the Jesus Nazareno ahead of traslacion.
According to the Nazareno Operation Center on Wednesday, 4,500 devotees attended the first round of the Fiesta Masses as of 3:50 p.m. at the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno in Quiapo.
Fiesta Masses are special religious services or masses celebrated in honor of a patron saint during local fiestas.
Meanwhile, 9,500 devotees were counted in Luneta in the same period—this as the original image of the Nazareno is still at the Quirino Grandstand.
The Fiesta Masses were held beginning 3 p.m. and will be conducted hourly until 11 p.m. on Thursday, coinciding with the arrival of the image of the Jesus Nazareno from Quirino Grandstand.
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The Nazareno Operation Center said that, with the figures, both Quiapo Church and Luneta are still at “normal situation.”
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This year’s traslacion procession is set to be held on January 9, Thursday where millions of devotees are expected to participate.
READ: Crowds building up for ‘Pahalik’ on the eve of Nazarene procession
On the day of the traslacion itself, devotees flood the streets of Quiapo in hopes of being able to see (or ideally, touch) the image of the Nazareno as it traverses from Quirino Grandstand to the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno.
The duration of the procession varies every year, with the 2024’s lasting for 15 whole hours.