Philippines cancels centuries-old ‘Black Nazarene’ parade over coronavirus infection fears

Name: Filipino Catholics gather in Manila for ‘Black Nazarene’ procession
Uploaded: 2020-10-23T05:07:07.000Z
Duration: 1 min 26 s
Description: Filipino Catholics gather in Manila for ‘Black Nazarene’ procession

The procession through the capital, a tradition in the former Spanish colony that goes back more than two centuries, typically draws millions of devotees

As the country’s coronavirus hotspot, Manila is under partial quarantine restrictions with mass gatherings banned and social distancing imposed

Reading Time:1 minute

Why you can trust SCMP

Catholic devotees flock to the Black Nazarene on a procession through Manila to mark its feast day in January. Photo: EPA

Reuters

Published: 1:07pm, 23 Oct 2020Updated: 1:06pm, 23 Oct 2020

The Philippine capital of Manila on Friday cancelled an annual procession of a centuries-old black wooden statue of Jesus Christ that draws millions of Roman Catholic devotees as the coronavirus pandemic continues to afflict the country.

The Philippines, renowned for its colourful religious rituals, has the second-highest number of novel coronavirus infections and deaths in Southeast Asia behind Indonesia.

“The grand procession of the life-sized image of the Black Nazarene in January 2021 has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” the city government of Manila said in a statement.

Millions of devotees, mostly in yellow and maroon shirts and walking barefoot, typically jostle to draw near a carriage bearing the life-sized image of the “Black Nazarene” shouldering a heavy cross. The statue, carved in Mexico, is believed to have miraculous healing powers even to the slightest touch.

01:26

Filipino Catholics gather in Manila for ‘Black Nazarene’ procession

The procession, a tradition in the former Spanish colony that goes back more than two centuries, usually lasts more than 20 hours.