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.

More than half a million Catholic devotees participated on Thursday in the centuries-old Black Nazarene procession in Manila, seeking blessings and miracles while navigating massive crowds that left nearly 470 injured.

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.

January 9 marks the closing procession of the Black Nazarene festivities. For three days, Filipino Catholics venerate a statue of Christ brought from Mexico in the 16th century, regarded as miraculous.

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.

A devotee shows a miniature statue of the Black Nazarene during the annual feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila, the Philippines, Jan. 9, 2025. Thousands of devotees of the Black Nazarene flocked to downtown Quiapo district in Manila on Thursday to join the yearly procession to honor a life-size statue known as Black Nazarene.