By Crystal Mak

“The Procession of the Passion of Our Lord the God Jesus," also called, “The Big Jesus" is a traditional annual event in Macao. Catholics will lift up the statue of Christ carrying the Cross and walk from St. Augustine’s Church to the Cathedral, then carry it back the next day. Many people just think that it is a parade for a religious celebration, but how many of us really know the legend behind it?

“The procession isn’t a celebration, instead, it is the first Stations of the Cross before Easter, depicting Christ carrying the cross to his crucifixion," said Joseph Chan, president of Confraternity of our Lord Jesus. He mentioned that in the past the followers who attended the procession usually wore all black, as it was a recall of the Passion of Christ.

This kind of procession is a tradition that originated from Northern Europe. Many European countries like Portugal and Spain, and even the Philippines, a country that had been colonized by the Spanish, also had the procession of Christ. Traditionally, the procession would be held annually on the first Saturday and Sunday after the Novena and Feast in honor of the Lord God Jesus (“Novena e Festa em Honra do Senhor Bom Jesus dos Passos" in Portuguese), which is the nine days before Lent. It is a period reminding believers to be ready for the penance and self-denial during Lent.

To many people, even Catholics, this statue of Christ is always a myth. Chan said the statue has a history of 400 years and there are several legends about it. Many years ago, a wood cabinet was said to have floated to the coast of Nam-Wan. Inside the cabinet, there were pieces of wood, which could be formed into a statue. Hence, the people pieced the wood together as a statue, and put it at the St. Augustine Church.

According to Fr. Peter Chung Chi Kin, Vicar General of the Macau Diocese, there is another legend. Long time ago, a security guard of the Cathedral heard someone knocking at the door while he was sleeping, and he just ignored it. So that person went away and walked to St. Augustine’s Church. And finally, people found out that person was Jesus. So people made a statue and put in the church. Therefore, the route of the procession now is the route that Jesus walked before.

All in all, these are just legends, and no verified documents recorded where the statue really came from.

Aside from the procession of the Passion of Our Lord the God Jesus, there is also the procession of Our Lady of Fatima in May and the procession of Jesus’ corpse at the Cathedral during Easter time. These religious parades are also part of the unique and traditional features in this “City of God", Macao.