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.

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

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.

The traditional “Pahalik” that has been part of the annual feast of the Black Nazarene started ahead of schedule this year as devotees began massing and lining up at the Quirino Grandstand. The Manila Police District (MPD) said church authorities officially opened the religious activity that involved the touching and kissing of a Black Nazarene image at 8:05 p.

Thousands of worshippers joined a mass as the religious Feast of the Black Nazarene festival continued through the night in the Philippines. Footage shows the devotees twirling white towels as the carriage holding the black Jesus statue set off from the Quirino Grandstand in the capital Manila on January 9.