DOI: 10.5176/2382-5650_CCS18.111
Authors: Aces Joseph San Pedro, Cecille Cordero, Aleign Czarina Liwanag, Lenard San Jose, Kenneth Gravamen, Junnell Santos and Regie de Jesus
Abstract:
Devotion is a form of veneration to a particular thing, image or an individual. It is usually correlated with faith, which refers to the belief on something that cannot be perceived by human senses. As a predominantly Catholic country known for its religious traditions, faith and devotion in the Philippines is comprehensive that it emanates the country’s rich culture and civilization. One apparent manifestation of this devotion is the Black Nazarene, an ebony statue of Jesus Christ brought to the Philippines in 1606, and is believed to have miraculous powers. Thus, this ethnographic research is focused on the Filipino’s devotion to the Black Nazarene and its relevance to the contemporary culture of the Philippines. This study centered on the perceptions of the devotees and clergy on the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila. The study used thematic analysis and field working approach to fully understand the factors behind the continued devotion of the devotees. Data saturation resulted from fourteen informants who underwent a fully documented semi-constructed interview. Participant observation was also conducted to make sense of the culture. On this basis, the findings of this study are summarized through three emergent themes which represent the roots of the developed devoutness and culture, the personal attributions of devotees and how they sustained their faith, and their progressive spiritual well-being resulting from their fully carried-out devotion. From the findings, the researchers concluded that each devotee has various reasons why they became one, as they developed an internal connection with the black relic. Modernization also brought developmental measures to the annual conduct of the Traslacion that makes it prevalent in the present times. Philippines have religious deviations, but it was evident that the country’s religious customs reflected the progress in the contemporary culture of the Filipinos.
Keywords:Black Nazarene, devotion, contemporary Filipino culture, ethnography
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