Every year on January 9jili777, the streets of Manila, particularly Quiapo, transform into a sea of maroon and yellow as millions of Catholic devotees gather together to celebrate the Feast of the Black Nazarene. The devotional fervor of many Filipinos continues to stand out and stronger than ever as evident in this year’s celebration.

The streets of Quiapo were transformed into a sea of maroon and yellow as millions of Catholic devotees joined the Traslacion 2025. According to the church management, over 8 million Filipinos flocked to this year’s celebration, significantly higher than the 6-million devotees recorded last 2024.

One of the faithful Catholics who attended this year’s Traslacion is Melanie Talan. Joined by her cousin, the 50-year-old Talan went to Quiapo Church after seeing the glimpse of the Black Nazarene’s image at the Quirino Grandstand on Wednesday night.

To ensure the safety of everyone, several medical stations were set up along strategic places by the Department of Health, health care company Unilab, Inc., Red Cross Philippines, various partner agencies, and the City Government of Manila. Medical volunteers at the Unilab First Aid tent attended to devotees who sustained wounds, experienced difficulty in breathing, headache, dizziness and high blood pressure.

Talan has been a devotee of the Black Nazarene for 10 years now, sharing that she made a vow to join and participate in the feast annually.

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“Malaki ang naging tulong Niya sa akin, lalo na nung ako ay nag-abroad ng limang taon. Natulungan Niya ako malagpasan ang mga pagsubok (He helped me a lot, especially when I went abroad for five years. He helped me overcome all trials during those years),” recounted Talan, praising and thanking Jesus for guiding her.

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Accompanied by her cousin, 50-year-old Melanie Talan went to Quiapo Church to attend a holy mass after the traditional “Pahalik” at the Quirino Grandstand.

She’s also hopeful that the Señor will continue to help and guide her as she’s about to undergo surgery on Monday. 

“Naniniwala kami na malalagpasan ko ito dahil sa tulong Niya (We believe that I will get through this with His help),” she said, smiling as she and her cousin solemnly listened to the Holy Mass outside the church.

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66-year-old Yolanda Caudilla, who has been a devotee since she was 35 years old, detailed that part of her routine every morning before opening her shop is to pray to Jesus Christ, asking for His guidance as she sells handkerchiefs, rosaries, and bracelets outside Quiapo Church.

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Yolanda Caudilla attended the holy mass outside Quiapo Church while selling handkerchiefs, rosaries, and bracelets to her fellow devotees.

“Iisa lang ang panalangin ko sa Kanya kundi sana maging malusog kaming lahat ng aking mga pamilya at hindi magkasakit (I have only one prayer to Him: I hope that all of my family will be healthy and not sick),” said Caudilla.

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Likewise, Mary Rose, a 29-year-old Sampaguita vendor who became a devotee since 2009, also hopes that the Lord grants her wishes to continue guiding and helping her mother.

Mary Rose has been a devotee of the Black Nazarene since she was 19 years old, and her only prayer to the Señor is to guide her mother.

“Ilan taon na lumalaban ang nanay ko sa sakit ng baga pero hanggang ngayon, awa ng Diyos, lumalaban pa rin si Mama at ginagabayan pa rin Niya kami. At sana patuloy Niyang gabayan at tulungan si Mama (“My mother has been fighting lung disease for several years but until now, God’s mercy, Mama is still fighting and He is still guiding us. And I hope He will continue to guide and help),” a hopeful Mary Rose shared as she went on to sell Sampaguita flowers to her fellow devotees.

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Much like every year, millions of Filipinos flock to this year’s procession, drawing 8,124,050 individuals. This is much higher than last year’s procession where around 6.5 million devotees participated.

Based on the tally released by the Quiapo Church, 1,290,590 devotees gathered at the Quirino Grandstand; 387,010 joined the processional route of the image of Jesus Nazareno; while 6,446,450 devout Catholics were in the area of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno.

Given the expected millions of devotees who joined this year’s liturgical feast, several medical teams and health stations were set up along the route of the andas to ensure everyone’s safety. The Department of Health, Unilab, Inc., Red Cross Philippines, various partner agencies, and the City Government of Manila provided basic and advanced care.

Dr. Cherry Orfanel and Dr. Macy Cornago, two of the medical volunteers at the Unilab First Aid tent stationed beside the church entrance, shared that the main cases they have usually encountered were devotees who sustained wounds, experienced difficulty in breathing, headache, dizziness, and high blood pressure.

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“So far, kalmado yung sitwasyon dito. Usual cases na nae-encounter namin ay mga nahihilo kasi yung iba walang kain, kulang sa tulog (So far, the situation here is calm. Usual cases that we encounter are those who feel dizzy because they often have no food, lack of sleep, etc.),” said Dr. Orfanel and Dr. Cornago. 

These risks, however, didn’t deter the devotees from fulfilling their “panata” and expressing their devotion to the image of Jesus Nazareno, bringing with them their prayers for healing, guidance and forgiveness.

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The Traslacion began at 4:41 a.m. on January 9 and after almost 21 hours, the image arrived at Quiapo Church at 1:25 a.m. on Fridayjili777, January 10, marking the longest procession since 2020.

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