More devotees climb Nazareno andas when it slows, enters narrow spaces – Study

A 2019 study of the traditional Traslacion or the procession of the Hesus Nazareno from Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church noted that more devotees attempt to climb the andas or wheeled carriage that bears the image when it slows down or enters a narrow street.

According to a 24 Oras report by Maki Pulido on Wednesday, the study conducted by the International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences Research noted that there were up to 12 devotees in every square meter of the procession route, as compared to the recommended 5 persons in the same amount of space.

They also coined the term “hustle rate” for devotees trying to climb the andas when it reaches narrow pathways.

The study said that the hustle rate reaches up to 56 people per minute or more than 500 people every 10 minutes and was heaviest along Fraternal and Vergara Street.

“So far, 600 seconds inobserba namin. Binilang namin kung ilan mga umaakyat [ng andas], siyempre [pati] yung umaakyat sa balikat at ulo ng ibang tao habang nakatigil yung andas,” said Darius Diamanté, the author of the study.

(So far, we have observed 600 seconds. We counted how many climbed [the carriage], of course [including] the ones who climbed on top of the shoulders and heads of other people while the andas stopped.)

The study recommended no less than 50 people pull the andas and secure its front to avoid stopping during the procession.

“As much as we want people to celebrate yung… Nazareno, we want them to be safe as well. So, the more continuous the movement is, siguro the less yung experiences ng mga deboto na ganito, (there would probably be less devotees with similar experiences)” he added.

Meanwhile, the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno said that it is difficult to conduct a procession without stopping.

“Mayroong mga pagtigil dahil nga may maliliit na eskinitang dinadaanan ito. It would be very impossible na magdire-diretso. Kung walang pagsampang ginaganap, makakatiyak tayo na magiging ligtas ito,” said Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno spokesperson Reverend Fr. Robert Arellano.

(Of course, there are stops because there are narrow paths along the route. It would be impossible to do it continuously. If there are no one climbing, we can ensure that it would be safer.)

Despite Arellano’s advice, devotees say that it would be difficult to comply but assured there was camaraderie between devotees trying to climb the andas bearing the Jesus Nazarene image.

“The order and the chaos comes with the formation of groups, and how groups tend to circulate themselves so that one group can take over the other groups,” explained sociologist Clifford Sorita.

Earlier, a psychologist stated that devotion to the Nazareno is an outward manifestation of how intense a devotee’s needs are, and can be linked back to hand-me-down rituals and history.

“The greater the risk that they are participating in, that means the greater the intensity of their need is. For example, if it’s about social media, about likes and all that, they have a strong desire to have a lot of likes. It can range from something very superficial to something quite desperate,”  psychologist Dr. Randy Dellosa told GMA News Online.

“It’s some type of conformity. It’s a conformity to the religious practices of their forebears or the people around them, so it makes them a bit more like everyone else. There’s a sense of safety in being like everyone else,” he continued.

He added that devotees also feel that the Nazarene image is easier for them to relate to.

“He’s relatable because he's dark-skinned, he appears suffering.  He might be more relatable in that sense to Filipinos compared to other saints who look too immaculate or too clean,” he said. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/RF, GMA Integrated News