Hundreds of thousands of barefoot devotees joined an annual procession in the Philippines of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ on Thursday in one of the world’s grandest displays of Catholic devotion and expressions of faith.

Taking place each year in January, the procession sees devotees carry across Manila a replica of a famous life-size statue of Jesus carrying a black wooden cross.

As the Feast of the Black Nazarene approaches, the Manila Public Information Office has officially announced the route for the Traslacion 2025.The theme of

Over 22,000 devotees joined the pahalik or kissing of the Black Nazarene’s image at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila yesterday. As of 8 a.m. yesterday, 22,327 people had lined up for the pahalik, according to the Nazareno Operations Center of the Quiapo Church.

Thousands of devotees filled the streets for an annual Catholic procession in the Philippines. Religious locals gathered around the Quiapo Church in the capital city Manila, where the image of the Black Nazarene depicting Jesus Christ carrying a cross was set to arrive during the religious festival on January 9.