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| PAINT IT BLACK From from fanaticism but an act of faith |
I WAS WATCHING THE PROCESSION of the Black Nazarene from a television at home. Apart from the sight of that massive crowd around it, the potential danger of being severely injured in that parade was more than mere accident. The procession, however, looked so congested and that bone-crushing journey towards that black icon could put someone to rest.
But devotees were already lining up days before the feast could take place, and some of them came from the provinces, hoping at least to get a glimpse of the Nazarene, which believed to have the power to heal.
The struggle towards the icon, of course, takes its cue from the Nazarene’s own struggle towards the cross. A self-sacrificing act one has to perform to attain a kind of healing, a sure-fire miracle at that, out of struggling towards the now modified statue. That has always been the mindset of those who flock around the icon strolling around the greater Manila area.
To cut a long history short, the mystery behind what is now known as Traslacion started when a relatively unknown sculptor from Mexico fashioned the statue that has been allegedly charred by a fire in a galleon on its way to the country, thereby giving its black hue a mystical twist. And since then, those who survived over the purported sea mishap believed that the figure was in itself an apparition.
I’m no devotee to the Black Nazarene, but I find it enigmatic that hordes of people would flock to the icon, hoping against hope at times, to have a piece of it. Running the risk of a stampede as a result of hoarding around the statue, these devotees will let their guards down under the viciousness of climbing towards the icon and expect a miracle in return.
And this has been going on for years. As a kid, I used to dread the sight of Christ crucified on the cross (this was, of course, from that special Lenten program during Good Friday), because a nail punching in your hand could cause some serious damage in the nerves, and would nevertheless create an unexpected trauma to an impressionable kid. I doubt, though, looking at the combination of chaos and camaraderie surrounding the procession that kids today would dread the sight of some Black Jesus on a feisty parade. These kids, on the contrary, would look at it as some sort of a curiosity shop.
All the same, tradition has its way of reinventing itself. I noticed several young devotees among the crowd, a demographic not prevalent among traditional practices. But since the procession has evolved, and with the beatitude of social media, the feast of the Black Nazarene, to no fault of its own, has become an event. The sight of it, nonetheless, is picture-perfect for a selfie.
From afar it looked like a legitimate festival with all the towel throwing and body hurling underneath the statue. The famous La Tomatina (Tomato Throwing Festival) looked pale in comparison, even as they shut down communication lines, rerouting schemes imposed, classes suspended, street vendors evacuated, and at one point held Senate hearings at bay for a more concentrated procession. There were houses, in fact, along the route of the procession that showered money bills for those who attended the parade.
This year's Translacion, however, was much more regimented, tagging along with a battalion of police forces crowding the statue. And it earned the ire of the parade regulars, citing further difficulties in their attempt to get close to the Nazarene.
Hence. there was a brief commotion before the parade started, and reports later on of a pregnant woman caught up in a horde of frenzied devotees and onlookers, not to mention more than 300 people were already injured before noon. Although there were already shots fired between the US and Iran a couple of days ago, but the strife was much closer to home, as the procession of the Black Nazarene was almost uncontrollable by midday. There was even an alleged betting for those who can reach near the icon first, which helped bastardized the idea of getting near it.
Such is the figure that this Black Jesus brings. I wouldn’t want to question the motives of those who attended the procession, I just hope that they may be edified and get healed in the process with what they were doing. It must have been that hard and nefarious to be near the Nazarene.
Though it's quite tempting to wrap up the icon as a modern-day golden calf because the description surrounding its veneration was almost identical. Besides, it’s up to the beneficiaries of these supposed miracles where to put, or better yet attribute, these special incidents after surrendering their cards to the Black Nazarene. They have always argued that the icon was simply a representation of their beliefs.
Emil Quilatan, a priest, argued over CNN's The Source, that those who got injured during the procession was simply an act of faith, a personal devotion, he said, and not an exercise on fanaticism as was reputed through the mouths of its naysayers. They were hurt as a result of their devotion to the Nazarene, he added, as opposed to them hurting another person. However, those responsible for their injuries did not merit an explanation in the program.
I see it, however, as just a nominal celebration of faith of a Catholic kind, blown out of proportion over the years. The miracle part of it was simply an incidental phenomenon, and that the faiths of those who believed in it were its logical explanation, apart from the aura and the kissing of this black icon. The coincidence of such a miracle then was highly probable, considering it has been given a boost by way of attending the said event.
A story of a television broadcaster comes to mind as far as coincidence go when he attended the procession a few years back. He looked like he was hanging on for dear life at that moment, holding on to that rope as if there’s no tomorrow. He must have been thinking of a miracle more than a healing episode, but he became the Vice President of the country after that.
photo credits: the atlantic, rappler
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