DEVOTEES have started flocking to the Quirino Grandstand for the traditional “Pahalik” or the kissing of the image of the Black Nazarene. However, they are only allowed to wipe their handkerchiefs or hand towels on the image as kissing is still prohibited.

They started lining up for the “Pahalik” on Saturday, January 6, a few days before the Traslacion, or the long procession of the Black Nazarene takes place on January 9.

The traditional procession will be returning after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every year, there are millions of Catholic devotees braving the crowds barefooted just to touch or get closer to the image, which they believe to be miraculous.

But gatherings with a huge crowd like this were prohibited, especially during the height of the pandemic, to prevent further transmission of the virus.

So what happened during the Feast of the Black Nazarene in the past years?

Alternative activities

In the last three years that the traditional procession was suspended, officials of the Quiapo church instead held masses for the Filipino devotees.

The Traslacion was also replaced with the “Walk of Faith” that started from the Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church, the same route as the annual Traslacion, sans the image of the Black Nazarene.

The traditional “Pahalik” was also replaced with “Pagpupugay,” where devotees were only allowed to touch or wipe the image with a handkerchief or hand towel.

Animated Traslacion

But some communities had their version of the Traslacion. When the pandemic temporarily suspended mass gatherings, a group named Roblox Filipino Catholics (RFC) took this opportunity to bring the traditional procession online as many Filipinos spent more time on screens.

RFC is composed of Filipino Catholic youth from different parts of the country, with more than 2,500 members in the online game platform Roblox and social platform Discord, according to RFC administrator David John Torres.

“Ito ay naglalayon na magpatuloy lalo na nung pandemya ng mga debosyon,” he told Teleradyo in a January 2023 interview.

“Binibigyan ulit natin ng introduction ang ating mga kababayan sa pamamagitan ng ating mga virtual celebrations kung ano ba talaga yung espiritu ng pagdiriwang ng mga Catholic devotions,” he added.

The virtual Traslacion held by the RFC began in 2021, the first year that the procession was suspended because of the pandemic.

In the virtual Traslacion, people would see animated versions of the venues where the procession would take place, including its starting point at the Quirino Grandstand and its final location at the Quiapo Church. 

According to Torres, those who wished to participate in the virtual Traslacion had to use their Roblox account.

In the 2021 interview with CNN Philippines, Torres demonstrated how the virtual Traslacion worked. 

In the animated Traslacion 2021, Torres showed that the virtual andas, or the wheeled carriage of the Black Nazarene had ropes for the virtual devotees to hold. About six to eight players were needed to pull the andas, said Torres.

Other devotees, meanwhile, could opt to pray inside the Quiapo Church while waiting for the life-size image to arrive.

But the virtual version could only accommodate a hundred players.

Speaking with Teleradyo in 2023, Torres said those who wanted to see the virtual Traslacion could visit the RFC’s Facebook page where they would post a live video of the animated Traslacion.

Traslacion was not the only religious event that the RFC held. Torres said that the group partnered with parishes and dioceses to conduct other Catholic-related activities.

Virtual Catholic-related activities continue

2023 was the last year that the RFC held its virtual Traslacion now that the Catholic devotees are back on the streets to join the actual procession tomorrow.

But the group continues to hold various Catholic-related events, as seen on its Facebook page.

On Sunday, January 7, the RFC went live on the social media platform to conduct the virtual “Pahalik” at the virtual Quirino Grandstand.

Meanwhile, the Traslacion 2024 will have some modifications, including the barring of devotees from going up the andas.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) will also impose a no-fly zone as part of the security measures.