MANILA — Devotees are encouraged to take part in the thanksgiving procession for the Black Nazarene in Manila on Tuesday night, December 30, according to Quiapo Church technical adviser Alex Irasga.

Irasga clarified that the thanksgiving procession will not include the traditional carrying of the Black Nazarene image nor the use of ropes to pull the andas, or carriage.

“The image will be placed on a carriage mounted on a truck. It will move slowly and will be surrounded by hijos, including members of the PNP, who will help protect the image during tomorrow’s thanksgiving procession,” Irasga said in Filipino during a press conference on Monday.

He also assured devotees and the public not to be alarmed by the presence of Philippine National Police personnel serving as hijos, explaining that the officers have long been assigned to the church and were not deployed only for the event.

The Black Nazarene image depicts Jesus Christ carrying the True Cross on His way to Calvary for His crucifixion. It is clad in a maroon vest.

The annual procession reenacts the 1787 Traslacion, or the solemn transfer of the image from its original shrine in Bagumbayan, now Rizal Park, to Quiapo Church.

The original image of Jesús Nazareno was carved from mesquite wood by an unknown sculptor and was brought from Mexico to Manila on May 31, 1606. It was partially destroyed during the Battle of Manila in 1945 at the height of World War II.