Tondo marks feast of Santo Niño

A boy is surrounded by Santo Nino icons in Tondo, Manila. Photo by Reuters

Thousands of worshipers joined a Catholic procession in Tondo, Manila on Saturday and paraded statues of the Santo Niño believed to grant miracles.

Wooden replicas of the Santo Niño are revered by the devotees in remembrance of Jesus Christ's childhood, with a feast being held on the third Sunday of January.

The original icon was brought as a gift to the pagan-worshipping natives by  Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan who went to the Visayas in 1521, marking the country's conversion to Christianity.

Replicas of the original statue are enshrined in various churches across the Philippines, each with its own distinct celebration.

A day before the feast, devotees in the district of Tondo paraded their Santo Niño statues on the streets and accompanied by festive dancing before being blessed by a priest.

Some worshippers danced while holding the wooden statues in veneration of the icon.

Sto. Nino medallions being sold at the courtyard of the Sto. Nino church in Tondo, Manila, Claring Gumban sells the medallion for P150 each. DANNY PATA.

Paterno Malansang, a devotee of the child icon for 26 years, said the feast was a confirmation of faith.

"This is important to us because this is where we draw strength in our faith," he said.

Believers attribute successes and miracles to the Santo Nino, believing that worshipping it will give them good luck or grant them protection.

"We want to show thanks for the blessings we receive, for giving us good health, for the improvement in our economy, for everything," said Michael Esguerra, a devotee who brought a large Santo Niño replica with him to the parade

The feast of the Santo Niño is celebrated in the predominantly Catholic Philippines in remembrance of the virtues of Jesus Christ as a child.

More than 80 percent of Filipinos are Catholics, and religious festivals honouring saints are held year round. — Reuters