「ブラックナザレ祭」 ３年ぶり開催 フィリピン

【マニラＡＦＰ＝時事】フィリピンの首都マニラで８日未明、奇跡的な力を持つと信じられている黒いキリスト像を山車に載せて市内を練り歩く恒例の「ブラックナザレ祭」が開催された。（写真は「ブラックナザレ祭」の様子）
　新型コロナウイルス感染拡大の影響で３年ぶりとなった今年のブラックナザレ祭では、感染拡大予防の取り組みとして、本来のキリスト像を登場させず、また例年より１日早い８日に開催し、参加者の数を抑制した。
　等身大の黒いキリスト像をめがけて大勢が殺到する祭りは例年、熱狂的な盛り上がりを見せる。黒いキリスト像に触れたり近づいたりすると難しい病気が治るといった幸運が舞い込んでくると広く信じられているのだ。
　教会関係者によると、真夜中のミサ後に始まった行進には推定８万人以上が参加。通常であれば数十万人の参加者がある。
　ただ、今年は開催当日に参加者が密集しないよう、キリスト像がマニラ市内や近郊の教会を数週間かけて巡回。信者が像を近くで見たり触れたりできるよう機会を設けていた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/01/11-13:21）

Tens of thousands of Catholic faithful walked through the streets of Manila early Sunday in reverence of a historic statue of Jesus Christ, which is believed to have miraculous powers.
The walk of faith, which church officials estimated attracted more than 80,000 people, began after a midnight mass for the so-called Black Nazarene statue.
Many Filipinos believe touching or getting close to the statue can lead to the healing of otherwise incurable ailments and other good fortune.
Evangeline Rugas, 59, was among the worshippers attending the open-air mass where a replica of the icon has been on display.
She was praying for a miracle for her five-year-old nephew who suffers from seizures and cannot walk.
Nothing is impossible for the Black Nazarene, Rugas told AFP as she sat on a plastic sheet laid on the ground.
The original wooden statue was brought to the Philippines in the early 1600s when the nation was a Spanish colony.
Many Filipinos believe it got its dark colour after surviving a fire aboard a ship en route from Mexico.
This year's parade replaced the traditional frenzied procession, which used to involve hundreds of thousands of believers thronging a life-sized statue as it was pulled through the streets on a float.
One of the biggest displays of Catholic devotion in the Philippines, it was cancelled for two years in a row due to Covid-19.
This year's event was held a day before the feast of the Black Nazarene, which falls on January 9, and without the venerated statue in the hope of reducing crowd numbers and the risk of infection.
The roughly six-kilometre (3.7-mile) route ended at Quiapo Church, where the Black Nazarene is enshrined.
Mask-wearing devotees, some carrying candles or small replicas of the Black Nazarene, poured through narrow streets in the early hours of the morning.
Mercy Dayrit, 70, said she had prayed day and night to the Black Nazarene after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016.
She was declared cancer free last year, which she attributes to the icon.
So many miracles happen, Dayrit said.
In the weeks leading up to Sunday's walk, the statue was taken to churches around the city and nearby provinces to give worshippers the chance to see and touch it in the hope of avoiding a huge crowd on the feast day.