Barefoot Catholics throng iconic statue in Philippines' biggest religious festival

10 Jan 2018 1:52 PM IST

Filipino Catholicism follows the belief that the presence of a higher being can only be made real through the body and via the material.

The Black Nazarene was brought to Manila by missionaries in 1606 and is believed to have survived disasters and calamities (Photo: AFP)
A sea of heaving, towel-waving humanity swarmed a black statue of a cross-bearing Jesus Christ in the Philippine capital Tuesday (Jan 9) as the Catholic faithful joined one of the nation's largest religious festivals (Photo: AFP)
City officials say about 500 people get injured in the procession each year as pilgrims risk life and limb to touch the icon with towels, believing its miraculous powers will be transferred to the cloth (Photo: AFP)
Drawn by devotees pulling on thick ropes attached to its carriage, the icon left a central Manila park with 490,000 people in tow waving white towels and chanting \"Viva\" (\"Long live\") (Photo: AFP)
The Philippines is Asia's Catholic bastion with a flock of more than 80 million. Spain colonised the archipelago nation in the 16th century and spread the faith (Photo: AP)
The risky behaviour has drawn frequent criticism in the Philippines, with some saying it resembles pagan worship (Photo: AP)
In a frenzied display of religious fervour, men, women and children climbed over heads and shoulders and flung themselves at the centuries-old Black Nazarene that they say performs miracles (Photo: AP)

The Black Nazarene was brought to Manila by missionaries in 1606 and is believed to have survived disasters and calamities (Photo: AFP)

Filipino Catholicism follows the belief that the presence of a higher being can only be made real through the body and via the material.