MANILA, Philippines - The image of the Black Nazarene was carved from dark mahogany wood and was brought to Manila by a group of Augustinian priests from Mexico in 1607.
The life-size statue was first housed in a church at an old Spanish fortress but was transferred to the Quiapo Church more than century later.
According to local historians, the statue survived two huge fires, two earthquakes and the bombing of Manila by allied forces to end the Japanese occupation in 1945.
In the 1880s, Pope Pius VII professed that anyone who sincerely prays through the image will be granted with plenary indulgence, which is a remission of the entire temporal punishment due to sin so that no further expiation is required in purgatory, as defined in the Catholic encyclopedia.
The devotees also believed that the Black Nazarene would grant their wishes and heal their sickness. They would usually throw towels or handkerchiefs at the guards in the procession for them to wipe these on the statue and toss them back, in the belief that some of its alleged magical powers would transfer to these items.
At the end of the procession, the devotees return to their homes waiting for their wishes to come true and continue their devotion to the Black Nazarene, promising to return the following year.
Despite the risk of getting injured, millions of devotees troop to the Quiapo Church every 9th of January to show their faith and witness the festivity.
Here is a list of estimated number of devotees injured every year based on the data gathered from various medical teams attending the procession:
2004 – A man died while dozens were hurt after thousands of devotees scrambled to touch the 200-year-old image during the procession. At least 20 suffered cuts in different parts of the body out of the 100 devotees treated, according to the Western Police District-Tactical Operation Center.
2005 – The Fire Emergency and Paramedic Assistance Group tallied 16 injuries while an operations officer of the Quiapo Church reported 47 people wounded. There were no recorded deaths.
2006 – Two male devotees died while 15 others sustained injuries, according to the Philippine General Hospital. Four suffered from hypertension while 11 suffered bruises. The Manila Police District recorded 1,000 injured devotees.
2007 – The number of injured persons dropped to 284, according to the MPD. There were no fatalities recorded.
2008 – Two people died of heart attack and 50 others were hurt in the mad scramble of devotees jostling to touch the Black Nazarene.
2009 – At least 227 people were treated for afflictions including exhaustion, dehydration and hypertension, including a pregnant woman, according to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
2010 – Two people died and more than 450 were hurt in the crush of some two million devotees who took part in the procession, according to the PRC.
2011 – A total of 560 devotees sustained injuries including lacerations, abdominal pain, sprain, headache, dizziness, difficulty in breathing, hypertension and back pain during the procession that started at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park.