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Pilgrimage
*** Shopping-Tip: Pilgrimage
Image:Supplicating Pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram. Mecca, Saudi Arabia.jpg right|thumb|300px|Pilgrim at Mecca
:''For other uses of the word '''pilgrimage''', see
Pilgrimage (disambiguation).''
A '''pilgrimage''' is a term primarily used in
religion and
spirituality of a long
Quest journey or
search of great
moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or
shrine of importance to a person's
beliefs and
faith. Members of every religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a
pilgrim.
Secular and
civic pilgrimages are also practiced, without regard for religion but rather of importance to a particular
society. For example, many people throughout the world travel to the
Washington, DC City of Washington in the
United States for a pilgrimage to see the
Declaration of Independence and the
Constitution of the United States.
United Kingdom British people often make pilgrimages to
London for public appearances of the
monarch of the
United Kingdom.
Pop culture has also sought to redefine pilgrimages, defining a
demoscene party as a
pilgrimage (demo party) pilgrimage.
Antiquity
Many ancient religions had holy sites, temples and groves, where pilgrimages were made.
*
Karnak, Egypt.
*
Thebes (Egypt) Thebes, Egypt.
*
Kurukshetra, India
*
Delphi, Greece. Oracle.
*
Ephesus Temple of Diana.
*
Baalbek Lebanon.
Bahá'à Faith
A
Bahá'à pilgrimage currently consists of visiting the holy places in
Haifa,
Acre, Israel Akká, and
Mansion of Bahjà Bahjà in Northwest
Israel.
Bahá'à faith Bahá'Ãs do not have access to other places designated as sites for pilgrimage.
Bahá'u'lláh decreed pilgrimage in His Motherbook (
Kitáb-i-Aqdas) to two places: the House of Bahá'u'lláh in
Baghdad,
Iraq, and the House of the
Báb in
Shiraz, Iran Shiraz,
Iran. In two separate Tablets, known as Suriy-i-Hajj, He prescribed specific rites for each of these pilgrimages (lifting the injunction regarding the shaving of one's head for pilgrimage in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas). It is obligatory to make the pilgrimage, "if one can afford it and is able to do so, and if no obstacle stands in one's way". Bahá'Ãs are free to choose between the two Houses, as either has been deemed sufficient. And although women are not bound to perform pilgrimage, they are certainly not prohibited to do so.
Later,
`Abdu'l-Bahá designated the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahji (the
Qiblih) as a site of visitation. No rites have been prescribed for this.
Buddhism
Gautama Buddha spoke of four holy sites that followers may seek.
*
Lumbini birth place
*
Sarnath (formally
Isipathana) where he delivered his first teaching
*
Bodh Gaya place of
Enlightenment (Buddhism) Enlightenment
*
Kusinara (now
Kusinagar, India) where he passed away
Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimages include:
*
Lhasa, capital of Tibet and traditional home of the
Dalai Lama
*
Mount Kailash
*
Lake Nam-tso
Christianity
Pilgrimages were first made to sites connected with the life, birth and crucifixion of
Jesus. Surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to the
Holy Land date from the 4th century, when pilgrimage was encouraged by church fathers like
Saint Jerome. Pilgrimages also began to be made to Rome and other sites associated with the
Apostles,
Saints and Christian martyrs, as well as to places where there have been alleged
Marian apparitions apparitions of the
Blessed Virgin Mary Virgin Mary.
The second largest single pilgrimage in the history of
Christendom was to the
Funeral of Pope John Paul II after his death on
April 2,
2005. An estimated four million people traveled to Vatican City, in addition to the almost three million people already living in Rome, to see the body of
Pope John Paul II lie in state.
World Youth Day is a major Catholic Pilgrimage, specifically for people aged 16-35. It is held internationally every 2-3 years. In 2005, young Roman Catholics visited Cologne, Germany. In 1995, the largest gathering of all time was to World Youth Day in Manila, Philippines, where four million people from all over the world attended.
The major Christian pilgrimages are to:
*
Jerusalem. Site of the crucifixion and resurrection of
Jesus.
*
Rome on roads such as the
Via Francigena. Site of the deaths of
Saint Peter,
Paul of Tarsus Saint Paul and other early martyrs. Headquarters of the
Catholic Church.
*
Santiago de Compostela in Spain on the
Way of St James (
Spanish language Spanish: ''El Camino de Santiago''). This famous medieval pilgrimage to the shrine of
Saint James the Great Saint James is still popular today.
Other important Christian pilgrimage sites include:
*
Avila, Spain, St Theresa of Avila, relics
*
Bethlehem, in Israel, Birthplace of Jesus and King David.
*
Canterbury, Kent Canterbury associated with
Saint Thomas à Becket.
*
Cathedral of Chartres, France.
*
CsÃkszereda CsÃksomlyó, Transylvania, Romania.
Whit Sunday gathering of (mostly
Hungarian people ethnic Hungarian) Catholics.
*
Croagh Patrick, Ireland. Saint Patrick.
*
Conques, France
*
Cologne, Germany. Relics of the Three Kings.
*
Częstochowa, Poland. Virgin Mary image.
*
Glastonbury, England. St Joseph of Arimathea.
*
Goa,
India. St.
Francis Xavier
*
Guadalupe, Spain.
*
Kapel in 't Zand,
Limburg
*
Kevelaer, Germany
*
Knock, Ireland
*
Lisieux, France.
Saint Therese of Lisieux, burial place.
*
Lourdes, France. Apparition of the Virgin Mary. Place of healing.
*
Mariazell, Austria. Marian Shrine to Austria and Hungary
*
Mount Athos, Greece. Orthodox monastic centre.
*
Mount Nebo (Jordan) Mount Nebo, Jordan. Traditional site of the death of
Moses.
*
Mount Sinai, Egypt, holy mountain to the ancient Hebrews, traditional site has been commemorated since time of
Constantine I (emperor) Constantine
*
Nazareth, Israel, hometown of Jesus
*
Our Lady of Fatima Fatima, Portugal. Apparition of the Virgin Mary.
*
Sea of Galilee, Israel, site of Jesus' early ministry.
* Shrine of
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Mexico City. Apparition of the Virgin Mary.
*
St. Patrick's Purgatory, Donegal, Ireland
*
St. Thomas Mount, India. Place where St.Thomas was martyed
*
Taizé Community, France, modern monastery that actively encourages pilgrimages to it
*
Trondheim Nidaros, Norway
*
Turin, Italy. Holy Shroud.
*
Vailankanni, India. 16th Century Mary apparition site.
*
Vierzehnheiligen, Germany.
*
Walsingham, England. Virgin Mary apparition site.
*
Wittenberg, Germany. Church of
Martin Luther and centre of the
Protestant Reformation.
Hinduism
*
Kedarnath
*
Gangotri
*
Yamunotri
*
Rishikesh
*
Haridwar
*
Benares
*
Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi
*
Vrindavan
*
Mayapur
The first four sites in the list above together comprise the
Chardham, or four holy pilgrimage destinations. It is believed that travelling to these places leads to
moksha, the release from
samsara (cycle of rebirths).
Vrindavan is most important place of pilgrimage for every
Vaishnava, especially for the followers of
Gaudiya Vaishnavism who regard
Krishna as the original Personality of Godhead (
God). Here one can attain
love of God (prema).
Islam
Hajj
Pilgrimage to Mecca – the ''
hajj'' – is one of the
Five Pillars of Islam. It should be attempted at least once in the lifetime of all able-bodied
Islam Muslims.
In addition to that most of the
Shiite Muslims undertake a pilgrimage to the holy city of
Mashhad in northeastern part of
Iran.
The Hajj is an inward journey to the Kab'ah of heart and soul.
Ziarah
Local Pilgrimage traditions - those undertaken as
ziarah visits to local graves, are found throughout Muslim countries. In some countries, the graves of saints and heroes have very strong ziarah traditions as visiting the graves at auspicious times is a display of national and community identity.
Some traditions within Islam have negative attitudes towards grave visiting.
Judaism
''See related article
Three pilgrim festivals''.
Within
Judaism, the
Temple in Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish religion, until its destruction in
70 AD, and all who were able were under obligation to visit and offer sacrifices known as the ''
korbanot'', particularly during the
Jewish holidays in
Jerusalem.
Following the destruction of the
Second Temple and the onset of the
diaspora, the centrality of pilgrimage to
Jerusalem in Judaism was discontinued. In its place came prayers and rituals hoping for a return to
Zion, see
Jerusalem#Jerusalem, Jews and Judaism Jerusalem, Jews and Judaism.
It wasn't until fairly recently that pilgramage has now become a possibility for the World's Jewish population. Besides the residents of the modern State of
Israel, Jews from many countries make periodic pilgrimages to the holy sites of their religion.
The Western retaining wall of the original temple, known as the
Wailing Wall, or
Western Wall remains in the Old City of Jerusalem and this has been the most sacred sight for Zionist Jews. This has only recently been open for Jews, when in 1967 Israel claimed ownership of Jerusalem.
Some Reform and Conservative Jews who no longer consider themselves
exiles, still enjoy visiting Israel even if it is not an official "pilgramage."
Other Holy Sites for Jews in Israel:
Gamla mountain in the Golan Heights.
Masada the Judean Desert.
Meron, burial site of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
Other Holy Sites for Jews in Other Countries:
Rabbi
Nachman of Breslov's Burial Site in
Uman, Ukraine
See also
*
Junrei
*
Monastery
Further reading
*al-Naqar, Umar. 1972. ''The Pilgrimage Tradition in West Africa.'' Khartoum: Khartoum University Press. [includes a map 'African Pilgrimage Routes to Mecca, ca. 1300-1900']
*Coleman, Simon and John Elsner. "Pilgrimage: Past and Present in the World Religions." Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995.
*Jackowski, Antoni. 1998. ''Pielgrzymowanie'' [Pilgrimage]. Wroclaw: Wydawnictwo Dolnoslaskie.
* Wolfe, Michael (ed.). 1997. ''One Thousands Roads to Mecca.'' New York: Grove Press
*Sumption, Jonathan. 2002. ''Pilgrimage: An Image of Mediaeval Religion.'' London: Faber and Faber Ltd.
*Zarnecki, George. 1985. The Monastic World: The Contributions of The Orders. pp. 36-66, in Evans, Joan (ed.). 1985. ''The Flowering of the Middle Ages.'' London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.
External links
{{commons|Pilgrimage}}
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Sacred Destinations Sacred sites and pilgrimages.
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French pilgrimage routes from 1000 CE till 1500 CE
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Spanish pilgrimage routes from 900 CE till 2000 CE
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VEDA: Holy Places
Category:Pilgrimages
Category:Tourism
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de:Wallfahrt
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fr:Pèlerinage
he:עלייה לרגל
nl:Bedevaart
ja:巡礼
pl:Pielgrzymka
pt:Peregrinação (religião)
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