The Procession of the Black Nazarene, Manila, Philippines

A Strenuous, Sweaty Catholic Tradition Practiced for Hundreds of Years

The Feast of the Black Nazarene is a time-honored Philippine ritual that is as old as Filipino Catholicism itself.

Every January 9, a blackened statue of Jesus Christ bearing a cross is set on a gold and red carriage, and pulled through the Manila district of Quiapo by male devotees. The procession re-enacts the transfer of the statue to its current home in the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, but it's so much more under the surface.

The photos in this gallery were taken by Sidney Snoeck., who has graciously given his permission for our use.