IN PHOTOS: How Tondo celebrated the Feast of the Sto. Niño

Thousands of devotees gathered at the Santo Niño Parish in Tondo, Manila on Sunday, January 19, to join the grand procession and celebrate the feast of the oldest religious image in the Philippines.

The Feast of the Sto. Niño is a yearly tradition celebrated on the third Sunday of January. Festivities began as early as 4 a.m., with altar servers and marching bands leading the way. Roads were blocked around the vicinity to allow the faithful to make their way around the city. To ensure a smooth procession, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno ordered the temporary banning of vendors along the procession route and the police force guarded the carriages to ensure safety.

The devotees believe that the Feast of the Sto. Niño is for children. As such, various representations of the child Jesus can be seen raised over devotees’ heads, mounted on pedicabs and motorcycles, and even cradled by children in strollers. Some of the costumes of the images stood out such as that of as a Filipino cop and a suit and tie. There was even a child dressed as the Sto. Niño himself. The streets of Manila were filled with banderitas and doves were set loose as the carriage passed by. Sari-sari store vendors offered candies to children attendees and to Sto. Niño images displayed outside residents’ homes.

Mass was being celebrated every hour since the time of the procession, and the church was crowded inside and out as devotees wait in line to touch the image of the Sto. Niño displayed in front of the church altar. Some even swarmed outside the church’s balcony, waiting for their own Sto. Niño to be blessed.

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