TRASLACION, the long procession of the image of the Black Nazarene, will be held again this year after a three-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The traditional procession is part of the celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene, held every January 9.
Traslacion 2024 will have several changes as officials from Quiapo Church issued some reminders to devotees. One of these is that devotees will no longer be allowed to go up the andas, or the Black Nazarene’s carriage, to wipe the image with a handkerchief.
Devotees used to swim in the sea of people to wipe parts of the Black Nazarene, believing that doing so would bring a miracle to their lives. Some of them have attributed their successes or recoveries from illnesses to the supposedly miraculous Black Nazarene image.
In the country, the estimated number of devotees of the Black Nazarene has reached millions, and among them are these Filipino celebrities:
Angeline Quinto
Original Pinoy music (OPM) singer Angeline Quinto is one of the personalities in the local entertainment industry who has been professing her faith to the Black Nazarene. She had shared this in her social media posts and several media interviews.
The 34-year-old singer attended the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo last year with her non-showbiz fiancé Nonrev Daquina.
In her YouTube video “The Feast of the Black Nazarene 2023,” Quinto shared that she has been a devotee since she was seven when her adoptive mother, Mama Bob, introduced her to the Catholic tradition.
Since then, Quinto has made it her tradition to visit Quiapo Church every year to celebrate the religious festival.
“Talagang naranasan ko yon na makipag-prusisyon nang nakapaa kasama yung mga kapitbahay namin dati sa Sampaloc, si Mama Bob. Hindi ko alam kung bakit namin ginagawa, parang hindi ko pa alam yung mga nangyayari nung time na ‘yon kasi nga bata pa ko so sumasama lang ako sa kanila,” she said.
“Hanggang ngayon na wala na si Mama Bob, patuloy kong ginagawa yung pagiging deboto sa mahal na Poong Nazareno,” she added.
Quinto shared in an interview with ABS-CBN in 2013 how being a devotee of the Black Nazarene brought miracles to her life, such as when her mom recovered from her illness. Mama Bob passed away in 2020.
Coco Martin
Quiapo seems to hold a special place in the heart of actor Coco Martin and the role he’s playing in the remake of the 1980s film “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.”
For Tanggol, Martin’s character in the show, Quiapo is his hometown. But for the actor himself, it’s a witness of his devotion to the Black Nazarene.
In 2023, the 42-year-old actor went to Quiapo to join activities for the Feast of the Black Nazarene along with the staff of “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.” Dreamscape posted several photos of the crew who were clad in Nazareno shirts. They took this opportunity to begin filming for the action-drama series.
Martin also started being a devotee since he was a child.
In January 2020, the Kapamilya star shared a photo of him attending a Mass in Quiapo Church where he thanked the Black Nazarene for the overflowing blessings he received.
“Walang hanggang pasasalamat po sa Poong Jesus Nazareno sa lubos na biyaya, pagmamahal at pag gabay sa akin at sa aking buong pamilya. Higit pa sa aking hiniling noon ang binigay niyo sa akin ngayon,” he captioned his post.
Noli de Castro
Veteran broadcaster Noli de Castro is also among the longtime devotees of the Black Nazarene. He had been sighted joining thousands of devotees for the Traslacion.
De Castro shared his Traslacion experience in a 2011 ABS-CBN article where he said that he had been part of the procession for over three decades.
“Hindi biro ang sumunod sa prusisyon, at tiisin ang kakaibang panahon noong Linggo. Hindi naman madaling isuko ang isang bagay na nagpapatatag sa ating pananampalataya,” he said.
In an Instagram post in 2015, broadcaster Anthony Taberna said that De Castro took a break from his radio show to join the religious feast.
Melai Cantiveros
Comedienne Melai Cantiveros also expressed her gratitude to the Black Nazarene for the blessings bestowed upon her.
In an Instagram post in 2018, the “Magandang Buhay” host posted a photo of her and her husband, Jason Francisco, attending a Mass at the Quirino Grandstand.
“Thank you po sa lahat ng Blessings nyu po 🙂 mahal namin kayu,” she wrote in the caption.
She continued, “kung may Me Time , Itu ang aming Our Time mag asawa :)”
Bayani Agbayani
Comedian Bayani Agbayani and his family have been open about their faith to the Black Nazarene.
His family has been a devotee for decades, with his mom Nanay Mila starting to profess her faith in the Black Nazarene in 1965, according to an “Umagang Kay Ganda” report in 2015.
At the time of the interview, they had been devotees for five decades.
The comedian said he has had only one prayer since being introduced to the devotion.
“‘Yung wala kahit isa sa pamilya ko ang magkasakit ng malubha. Minsan binabalikan ko, ‘Bakit ba ako naka-ipon?’Kasi alam mo ‘pag may nagkasakit ng malubha sa pamilya, ubos lahat ng naipon mo,” he narrated.
“At ako, ‘yan ang palagi naming dinadalangin sa Black Nazarene na sana walang mawawala taun-taon, bagkus may madadagdag pa,” he added.
McCoy de Leon
The devotion for the Black Nazarene seems to be inherited from one generation to another, and someone who was influenced by this is 28-year-old actor McCoy de Leon. He started his devotion because of the influence of his father Mark.
The “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” star shared that he joined Traslacion in 2019 as he posted on Instagram a photo of his feet covered in dirt.
The post can no longer be viewed but reports claimed that De Leon fell twice trying to climb up the carriage of the Black Nazarene. He ended up bowing his head down and praying to thank the Black Nazarene.
“Nasabi ko nalang ay ‘Maraming salamat po sa lahat lalo sa pamilya ko ikaw na po bahala sa kanila pag wala po ako. At sa mga taong nagpaabot ng dasal sana po madinggin niyo po sila,’” he said.
In 2019, De Leon told ABS-CBN News that he has always prayed for his younger siblings to be healthy and that they won’t have big problems in their family.
