Devotees in Philippines join massive 'Black Nazarene' procession

FILE PHOTO: Catholic devotees are showered with holy water during the blessing of Jesus the Nazarene replicas at Quiapo in Manila on January 3, 2026, ahead of the annual "Black Nazarene" procession on January 9. - AFP

MANILA: ‌Hundreds of thousands of Philippine devotees joined an annual procession of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ on Friday (Jan 9), one of the world's largest displays of Catholic faith that this year served as a platform to criticise corrupt officials in the graft-weary nation.

Filipinos turned the streets of Manila into a sea of maroon ‌and gold as they swarmed the "Black Nazarene", a life-sized image ⁠of Jesus Christ half-kneeling and bearing a wooden cross, which dates back to at least the 17th century.