Devotees line up at the Quiapo Church every Friday to touch and kiss the Black Nazarene. Pahalik (kissing) and Pahawak (touching)  are two of the  rituals associated with the devotion to the Black Nazarene (Sorita, GMA News online.)

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           Meanwhile, in an interview with Rev. Fr. Douglas Badong, the current Parochial Vicar Quiapo Church, he said that wiping and touching the Black Nazarene are two of the rituals that are unique in Quiapo. Devotees patiently wait in the long lines and wait for their turn to touch the image of the Black Nazarene. “They (devotees) believe that  by faith, it gives miracles for whatever petition or request they have as they touch the Black Nazarene,” Fr. Badong added.

 

          Moreover, the Pahalik (kissing the Black Nazarene) ritual is most fervent  in two events:  Good Friday and Translacion. Pahalik  is done yearly by the faithful in a vigil before the day of Translacion, the procession of the Black Nazarene from Luneta returning to Quiapo. Fortunado (Catholics and Culture 2015)  observes, “Devotees line up at the grandstand for the pahalik, the opportunity to kiss or touch the cross or foot of the Black Nazarene. Often they wipe the cross or foot with a cloth that they keep and rub on themselves or give to relatives unable to visit the Nazarene.”

 

          Every Good Friday, Pahalik sa Krus (Kissing of the Cross) is observed by millions of the Black Nazarene devotees.  They gather in the Quiapo Church enduring the heat and patiently lining to finally kiss the cross of the Black Nazarene, the object of their devotion. This ritual usually begins at 5:00 pm after the procession of the Santo Entierro (Sacred Interred Christ) with the Mother Dolorosa.

 

          During the entire year, devotees usually stay in the church after attending the Holy Mass to join a long line of people wanting to touch, kiss, and wipe the statue of the Nazarene.  On Fridays, the long queue of people normally extends to the streets outside the church. This is a spectacle that appears to be never-ending since more and more worshippers continuously add up to the line. Devotees who participate in this act care less about the inconvenience and discomfort that might be brought about by joining the long line under the scorching heat of the noonday sun or the heavy downpour during monsoon season. They care much about the experience of establishing close contact with the Black Nazarene, capable of touching, wiping, and finally kissing the statue with their hands full of faith in prayer.  The touch of the cloth is believed to bring healing.

 

          Devotees possess a strong belief that grace and miracle unfold instantaneously as they feel the Black Nazarene with their bare hands. People in need like the sick visit the Black Nazarene. They fervently pray for healing.  Some pay devotion and homage to the Black Nazarene because of His miraculous reputation. Still, others pray for their eternal gratitude for the blessings endowed to them by God. For the devotees, these intimate encounters with Señor Nazareno are unparalleled and truly invaluable.