This week, in Manila, Philippines, hundreds of thousands of Catholic devotees took part in an annual procession lasting 22 hours, where they carry a centuries-old icon of Jesus Christ through the streets as barefoot worshipers climb over each other to kiss, touch, or rub bits of cloth on the statue. The Black Nazarene is an ebony statue of Jesus Christ brought to the Philippines in 1606, and is believed to have miraculous powers.
The 2018 Procession of the Black Nazarene
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A young devotee stands next to a replica of the Black Nazarene during a procession outside Quiapo church in Manila on January 7, 2018, ahead of the annual procession on January 9. #
Ted Aljibe / AFP / Getty -
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A Filipino Roman Catholic man kisses a part of the cross of an image of the Black Nazarene during a raucous procession to celebrate its feast day on January 9, 2018. #
Aaron Favila / AP -
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Filipino Roman Catholic devotees watch from the windows of their homes as a raucous procession to celebrate the feast day of the Black Nazarene passes by on January 9, 2018. #
Aaron Favila / AP -