Thousands of devotees converged in Quiapo Church starting late Friday night for the traditional Thanksgiving procession that leads to the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Jan. 9.
The Thanksgiving procession that lasted for over nine hours, navigated a much shorter route compared to the Traslacion.
“It only navigated the streets around the Quiapo Church,” Fr. Douglas Badong, Vicar of the Quiapo Church, said.
Badong said the procession is similar to the Jan. 9 event and “serves as a drill for the bigger procession which is the Traslacion.”
The Plaza Miranda Community Precinct placed the crowd estimate at 5,000.
The image of the Black Nazarene left the Church at 2:30 a.m. and was brought back at 11:45 a.m., officials of the Quiapo Church said.
Badong said the Thanksgiving procession was traditionally being done during New Year’s Day but two years ago the Parish decided to conduct the pre-dawn procession earlier.
“Napagdesisyunan na gawin na ng December 31 ng madaling araw para ‘yung ibang deboto na sasama hindi pa lasing, dati kasi nagsisimula ang prosisyon katatapos lang ng selebrasyon at inuman,” Badong said. (Betheena Kae Unite)