#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Philippine Forum >  >  Let The Lunacy Begin!

## Davis Knowlton

The Feast of The Black Nazarene kicks off in Manila tomorrow. Basically, this little slice of religious insanity involves slightly more than 10 MILLION Filipinos descending on Manila for about three days, trampling each other to try to touch a statue of some black guy.

Then, four or five days later the Pope, whose church has done the best possible job of keeping Filipino families poor for centuries, shows up for a four-day frenzy of lunacy. Six MILLION are expected just to hear one mass in a Manila park.

Then weeks to clean up the mess. Manila's off my list until February.

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## chassamui

Read a news report that police on duty during the pope's visit will have to wear adult diapers?
Perverse or what?

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## Bettyboo



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## Davis Knowlton

^^Bizarre. Even more bizarre to put it in all the papers. How many portable toilets do you need for 10 MILLION people? Manila should be fragrant for quite a while after the festivities end.

Thanks Betty. Don't think I'll attend....................

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## ltnt

^Disappointing Davis, We would have enjoyed your on site reports... :Smile:

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## Davis Knowlton

> ^Disappointing Davis, We would have enjoyed your on site reports...


 :Sorry1: , but that just isn't going to happen.

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## ltnt

^Sad bit that.  I thought by now your bull shit tolerance level was up there with the Pope?  Would have been a nice piece of posting from your view point.  This bit of religious frenzy isn't connected to the Easter one with the Crucifixions I take it?  No self sacrifices to be seen or taken?  Lovely those one's.

I was told that Filipino's even go to loan sharks so they can throw their weekly parties...is that true?  Got to hand it to the Pope, he knows his audience.

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## Bettyboo

> Originally Posted by ltnt
> 
> 
> ^Disappointing Davis, We would have enjoyed your on site reports...
> 
> 
> , but that just isn't going to happen.


Wimp... 

 :France:

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## ltnt

Com'mon man, go on down and do it!  Good to rub shoulders with the great unwashed.

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## Cujo

Bloody wierdos those catholics I tell you.

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## Davis Knowlton

> ^Sad bit that.  I thought by now your bull shit tolerance level was up there with the Pope?


My bullshit tolerance level is quite high, but doesn't extend to things religious.

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## ltnt

^Duly noted...but everyone loves a parade! ::smile11::

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## beerlaodrinker

Faaark!
You wouldn't want to be flying in to Manila on those dates, an absolute shitfights I would imagine

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## Davis Knowlton

> Faaark!
> You wouldn't want to be flying in to Manila on those dates, an absolute shitfights I would imagine


To put it very mildly................

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## Smug Farang Bore

...and there was me planning a trip.

Fek it ill leave it till songkran

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## Humbert

> My bullshit tolerance level is quite high


You are a master of irony Davis!

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## slackula

> Basically, this little slice of religious insanity involves slightly more than 10 MILLION Filipinos descending on Manila for about three days, trampling each other to try to touch a statue of some black guy.


If you make the following substitutions:

Filipinos --> Americans
Manila --> DC
statue of some --> 'n actual 

it sounds a bit like Obama's 2009 Inaugural Address!  :Razz:

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## toslti

I suppose that means the porn webcams will be of line for a few days then!

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## Fozzy

The trick is to use these kind of things to your advantage. Go somewhere nice that's normally overcrowded, and enjoy it while it's unusually quiet.

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## Davis Knowlton

The problem is getting there, and back. Thanks, but that's a non-starter.

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## Davis Knowlton

> I suppose that means the porn webcams will be of line for a few days then!


Doubt it - probably will increase productivity, as people will be forced to stay home and do creative things to avoid the insanity outside.

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## thaimeme

Nothing more extreme than Christians that weren't designed to be Christians.

Freakish.

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## beerlaodrinker

> The trick is to use these kind of things to your advantage. Go somewhere nice that's normally overcrowded, and enjoy it while it's unusually quiet.


easier said than done fozzy, Manila traffic is nuts at the best of times combine that with a papal visit then your  really up a ducks ass. I wouldn't like to be anywhere near the place if I was in the philippines

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## thaimeme

> Bloody wierdos those catholics I tell you.


Systematic extermination.

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## Cujo

I remember some years ago, Calibo I think it was, some 'Easter' celebration called ati ati han or something like that. A very bizarre amalgamation of easter and some local pagan day of the rotting corpses celebration or something. Fucking weird.
As far as I could see just me, three Israeli chicks and some weird hippie expat type were the only foreigners anywhere to be seen. Definitely not a tourist attraction but a genuine local thing.

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## wasabi

Any cartoons drawn of this image of Jesus?

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## BaitongBoy

^^Heh...Just gotta roll with it, Dawg...Like any other faith...Interesting to observe some of the Buddhist stuff when it's low-key...

Removal of spells can be a lot of fun...Fascinating and strange...

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## thaimeme

> Any cartoons drawn of this image of Jesus?


 

Like this one?

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## misskit

Manila cops are issued diapers for the event.



It's going to be a long shift!

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## ltnt

^Very large Kotex eh Ms. Kit?

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## BaitongBoy

For those heavy papal days...

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## misskit

*Black Nazarene draws 5M devotees*

More than 5 million barefoot devotees paraded the centuries-old icon of the Black Nazarene through Manila on Friday, in what Church officials described as a dry run for the visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines next week, according to INQUIRER.net.
Pope Francis is arriving in Manila on Jan 15 for a five-day visit that will include a meeting with survivors of last years earthquake in Bohol province and Supertyphoon Haiyan in Leyte province.


Organizers of the papal visit are expecting to top the 4-million attendance at the Mass said by St. John Paul II at Rizal Park to cap the World Youth Day celebration and his visit to Manila in January 1995.

Yes, the Black Nazarene fiesta is a dress rehearsal for the papal visit, especially the culminating Mass at Quirino Grandstand in Luneta, Manila, on Jan. 18, the Rev. Anton Pascual, head of the papal visit subcommittee on media relations, said.  Perhaps 5 million attendees present is an understatement since Pope Francis popularity soared globally as iconic, said Pascual, who is also the executive director of the charity Caritas Manila.

About 5,000 policemen were deployed for the procession, with 1,000 military personnel on standby, Senior Supt Jigs Coronel of the Manila police said.

This is like a mini-papal event in scope, Coronel said. Well be able to put to test our security plans, crowd control, anticrime measures, emergency and medical response.

For next weeks papal visit, 40,000 military personnel and 25,000 policemen will be deployed to secure the Pope and keep order at public events in Manila and Leyte.

Black Nazarene draws 5M devotees - Thai PBS English News

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## ossierob

I have done the Easter festivities but not interested in this one.....just too far over the top to be even mildly interesting

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## cdnski12

I Just finished reading "Hitler's Pope" about Pius 12 (Pacelli). Priests & other Religious Ministers of all religious persuasions are the World's 2nd oldest profession.

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## Markus

> The Feast of The Black Nazarene kicks off in Manila tomorrow. Basically, this little slice of religious insanity involves slightly more than 10 MILLION Filipinos descending on Manila for about three days, trampling each other to try to touch a statue of some black guy.
> 
> Then, four or five days later the Pope, whose church has done the best possible job of keeping Filipino families poor for centuries, shows up for a four-day frenzy of lunacy. Six MILLION are expected just to hear one mass in a Manila park.
> 
> Then weeks to clean up the mess. Manila's off my list until February.


How did the Pope keep the PH poor ?

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## BaitongBoy

^Wait for it...No birth control and taking "donations"...For a start, methinks...

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## ltnt

I just saw an article calling the Pope a "Marxist!"  Reading of his history in Argentina he definitely has those leanings.  As Pope of course he'll live in splendor while the adoring mobs will live in squalor...typical Marxist.

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## Davis Knowlton

It kicks off tomorrow evening. To add to the misery, a large tropical storm is expected to hit tomorrow. They blocked all the streets Tuesday to start doing dry runs. It took a friend of mine over 5 hours to get from the airport to Makati - usually well under an hour. Sooooo glad I no longer live in Manila.

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## misskit



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## bowie

Six million at mass. Incredible.

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## thaimeme

> Six million at mass. Incredible.


Easier to exterminate - en masse.

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## BaitongBoy

> Six million at mass. Incredible.


Yep...That was something...

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## Davis Knowlton

^The trash clean up is quite something too.

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## PeeCoffee

He's a rock star.
I'll bet the Rolling Stones couldn't get that with a free concert.

I can't fathom what the port-o-potty logistics must be like three million...let alone for six million. 
(Shows you where my head must be at...and I've only been a member for three months ;-))

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## Ozcol

^ Maybe they are all wearing nappies like the Fuzz.

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## Cujo

> Six million at mass. Incredible.


Six million brainwashed morons all in one place at one time, what would you do?

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## Davis Knowlton

^Stay home...50 miles south.

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## withnallstoke

> Stay home...50 miles south.


Could you hear the Pinoy tannoy?

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## Davis Knowlton

^Nope. Quiet here..............

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## Takeovers

I heard he called the Filippine clergy corrupt. And he told people should not proliferate like rabbits.

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## bowie

The Pope is coming to Philadelphia in September. Not enough hotels. Word is out - request for host families. Opportunity for residents to clean up by renting out rooms in private residences. The stores are chomping at the bit. Logistical nightmare for Philadelphia. But well deserved as they requested it. Wonder if the Popemobile will cruise down Broad Street.

Still have a problem wrapping my mind around a gathering of Six million.

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## BaitongBoy

Yo, Francis...Heh...




> Still have a problem wrapping my mind around a gathering of Six million.


Yep...Mindboggling...

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## BaitongBoy

> And he told people should not proliferate like rabbits.


But still no birth control...

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## Takeovers

> Originally Posted by Takeovers
> 
>  And he told people should not proliferate like rabbits.
> 
> 
> But still no birth control...



Right, slightly contradictory. :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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