Something Bigger Than Myself: Participation in the Traslación Mediates the Link between Religious Identity and Well-Being

Religious mass gatherings are well explored in psychology, however, much research focuses on Hindu and Islamic traditions. The present study investigated how participation in the Traslación of the Black Nazarene, a religious mass gathering, mediated the relationship between religious identity and well-being among Catholic devotees in the Philippines. First, we predicted that religious identity influences the participation of devotees in the Traslación—a religious mass gathering in the Philippines in honor of the Black Nazarene. Second, we predicted that by attending the Traslación, participants' collective effervescence and hope would increase. A survey questionnaire was administered among devotees who participated in the Traslación (N = 331). Results indicate that religious identity was associated with participation in the religious mass gathering, which in turn increased the participants' collective effervescence and hope. Moreover, the findings highlight the importance of religious identity in predicting indicators of well-being outcomes via religious mass gatherings. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.