Feast of faith or filth?

Every 9 January, the streets of Manila turn into a biblical reenactment and the city’s worst nightmare rolled into one with the staging of the Traslacion of the Jesus Nazareno. And today’s pilgrimage is certainly no different.

Think of it as the spiritual equivalent of a rock concert, except the headliner is a centuries-old dark-skinned statue of Jesus, and the mosh pit is an endless sea of devotees trying to get a piece of the action. If you’re not stepping on someone’s toes, you’re probably under someone’s foot.

The Traslacion is a grand show of Filipino faith, a testament to our unparalleled ability to cling to hope despite life’s daily catastrophes. For millions of barefoot devotees, it’s an act of penance, thanksgiving, or desperate supplication.

Yet, while it’s spiritually uplifting for many, it’s also physically demanding — and sometimes downright dangerous. Every year, news outlets count injuries like scorecards: sprains, fainting spells, broken bones and, tragically, the occasional death.

Let’s not sugarcoat it — this event is a logistical and medical nightmare. It’s not just a spiritual journey but a test of one’s survival skills. Getting crushed by thousands of people is not exactly the healthiest way to show your devotion.

The city government deploys an army of medical teams and police officers, all of whom probably spend the day questioning their life choices. Meanwhile, hospitals brace for impact like it’s a natural disaster, knowing they’ll be patching up Traslacion survivors for the next 24 hours.

And then there’s the environmental toll. The streets of Manila transform into one giant trash bin, with plastic bottles and discarded slippers marking the route like bread crumbs in a grimy fairy tale. It’s a feast of faith, sure, but also a feast of filth.

For those not involved, the Traslacion is an accursed day. Businesses shutter, classes are suspended, and public transport becomes a pipe dream. The city grinds to a halt, leaving frustrated commuters to mutter prayers of their own — mostly for the immediate removal of the crowd blocking their way to work. Economically, it’s a day of losses for some, though a boon for enterprising vendors hawking everything from Nazarene T-shirts to snacks for the famished faithful.

Here’s the million-peso question: Is the feast still worth commemorating? For devotees, the answer would be a resounding yes. To them, the Traslacion is a profound act of faith, a yearly cleansing of the soul that no amount of modern skepticism can diminish. It’s about the collective hope that miracles do happen — that somehow, through sheer will power and divine intervention, life’s burdens will be eased.

But for the rest of us — those who cringe at the injuries, frown at the city-wide paralysis, and despair at the aftermath — it’s hard not to wonder if this is all necessary. Couldn’t we honor the Jesus Nazareno in a safer, more organized way? Say, a procession with barriers, a route that doesn’t bring chaos, or even a virtual Traslacion? (Okay, maybe that last one is pushing it.)

The Traslacion is undeniably part of the Filipino identity, but it might be time for a little introspection.

Faith doesn’t have to mean endangering lives or turning the city into a disaster zone. Perhaps the most meaningful devotion isn’t in risking life and limb but in finding ways to honor tradition without compromising safety and sanity.

Until then, though, we’ll be here every January, watching the faithful and the foolhardy weave through Manila’s streets in a frenzy of faith, sweat and — let’s face it — utter chaos.

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