MANILA, January 10 ------ After more than 20 hours, the image of Jesus Nazareno has been returned to its home in the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno. Based on the report of the Nazareno Operations Center, the official time of the end of Traslacion or the procession from Quirino Grandstand in Luneta to the minor basilica along Quezon Boulevard in Manila is 1:26 a.m. Friday. The procession started at about 4:41 a.m. on Thursday. “Official time - 20:45:04 (1:26 a.m.),” it said.
This year's procession was slower than the recorded time in 2024, which was exactly 14 hours and 59.10 minutes. The operations center has yet to release the official number of attendees. Last year, the crowd was estimated at six million. Hundreds of thousands of Catholics joined this year’s Feast of the Jesus Nazareno, trooping to the Quirino Grandstand for the "pahalik" up to the Traslacion (transfer) of the black-wooden-cross-carrying image of Jesus Christ back to its original shrine in Quiapo Church.
On top of the "pahalik," the Traslacion is one of the main highlights of the feast and commemorates the transfer of the Jesus Nazareno from Bagumbayan, the Recollect church of San Nicolas de Tolentino to its final home in Quiapo 400 years ago. The Traslacion, held every Jan. 9 yearly, gathers millions of devotees and has become one of Southeast Asia's largest religious events. While the annual procession is observed on this day, the Quiapo Church said the exact date of the Traslacion still needs further historical research and verification. Jan. 9, it said, is a celebration more closely linked to the Holy Name of Jesus.
Source: pna.gov.ph
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