Man's Call To Salvation

Every ninth day of January, Quiapo, the busiest district of Manila, becomes the scene of a mammoth festival in honor of the Black Nazarene. For most devotees, the life-sized image of Christ forced on His knees by the weight of the Cross He bears, symbolizes Jesus' oneness with them as they fall, suffer, and look to heaven for succor.

During the procession, scores of male human bodies push against each other to secure an advantage position of carrying the Black Nazarene's statue. Others, not so daring, content themselves with just being on the edges of the crowd as long as they are part of the long, winding procession during the Quiapo fiesta. Still, others prefer to be casual observers of the celebration.

The roots of fiesta celebrations reach back to the early years of Spanish rule when the friars coaxed their converts with the pomp and ceremony of organized celebration.



God is one. Also is the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.