January not only means the start of the year but also the start of the Philippine festivals which are largely followed and before the major regional festivals like Sinulog of Cebu, and Dinagyang of Iloilo, it all starts with the feast of the Black Nazarene that is attended by millions of devotees, including myself, to flock to the dense district of Quiapo and also join in the procession from Luneta to the Quiapo church.
The feast has been a tradition for more than 400 years and has gone through many challenges and milestones which have been etched into the spirituality of Filipino Catholics. And in every festival, it becomes the most dense place on earth with many of the devotees made a pilgrimage from cities in Metro Manila and even some from provinces like Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, and Pampanga.