Thousands of Catholic faithful gathered at the Minor Basilica and Archdiocesan Shrine of Santo Niño de Tondo on Sunday, Jan. 18, to celebrate the feast of the Child Jesus through hourly Masses and a traditional dawn procession.
The celebration began with the “Prusisyon sa Bukang Liwayway” at 4 a.m., which saw more than 4,000 devotees parading through the streets of Tondo.
Worshippers raised replicas of the Sto. Niño and sang hymns as the official image was carried on the Carroza Triunfal del Santissimo Nombre del Niño Hesus.
The dawn procession followed the “Lakbayaw” festivities held on Saturday, where approximately 4,200 people participated in a street dancing pilgrimage.
Church officials scheduled a total of 33 Fiesta Masses for the event, running hourly from 12 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sunday.
During the 3 a.m. Mass, guest priest Fr. Jason Alde delivered a homily centered on parental responsibility, urging guardians to be proactive in raising their children with good values.
Crowds continued to swell throughout the morning, with parish authorities expecting the number of visitors to rise significantly as the day progressed.
To manage the influx, nearly 1,000 personnel from the Manila Police District (MPD) were deployed for security and traffic management.
For those unable to attend the early morning events, a second religious procession took place at 7 p.m. to conclude the feast day celebrations.