DOCSLIB.ORG

Local Pilgrimage in Java and Madura: Why Is It Booming? Pilgrimage to the Tombs of Muslim Saints in Java and Madura Is Booming

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Local Pilgrimage in Java and Madura: Why Is It Booming? Pilgrimage to the Tombs of Muslim Saints in Java and Madura Is Booming > Research & Reports Local Pilgrimage in Java and Madura: why is it booming? Pilgrimage to the tombs of Muslim saints in Java and Madura is booming. The scale of the Research > boom is difficult to measure and the reasons for it are not easy to discern, but its reality is Indonesia undeniable. It is becoming a significant part of Indonesia’s rapidly changing religious The steady rise in the number of pilgrims acknowledge that God is all-powerful and landscape. It is even important in the country’s political life. undertaking the hajj to the Holy Land the source of all things. As a good Mus- probably flows on into local pilgrimage. lim surely this is what I should do.’ By George Quinn Before and after performing the hajj many Indonesian Muslims make visits Allied with the dead vidence of increase in pilgrim num- to the tombs of local saints as part of the From time immemorial Java’s rulers Ebers is mostly anecdotal – statistics totality of the hajj experience. With a cur- have legitimated their authority through that permit comparison of numbers rent cap of 205,000 on the number of alliances with the dead forged at holy over extended periods are almost impos- Indonesians permitted to undertake the places. Since the presidency of inveter- sible to come by. The custodian’s office hajj, it is also possible that some pilgrims ate pilgrim Abdurrahman Wahid (1999- at the tomb of the saint Sunan Bonang who miss out – estimated at around 2001), this ancient practice has assumed in the centre of Tuban, East Java, is one 30,000 during the 2003 hajj season – a dramatically higher profile in Indone- of the few that has kept some reasonably may make a local pilgrimage as a substi- sia’s political life. The new centre of this reliable figures. When I visited the tomb tute for the ‘real thing’. Certainly for practice is the imposing mausoleum of in July 1997 custodial staff told me that some of the many millions of Indone- Indonesia’s founding President pilgrim numbers had been increasing sians who cannot afford to undertake the Soekarno in Blitar, East Java. at a rate of between 10 and 20 per cent hajj, local pilgrimage may be a kind of for the previous five years, culminating umrah or ‘lesser’ pilgrimage. Between April and October this year, in a total of 526,268 visitors in 1996. during six months of incessant elec- When I visited the tomb again in … and money tioneering, Indonesia’s President November 2003, staff assured me that author of Courtesy Many pilgrims frequent holy places in Megawati Soekarnoputri made pilgrim- visitor numbers had topped one million Site custodians (juru kunci) await pilgrims at the tomb of Ki Ageng Gribig, Jatinom, Central Java order to plead for specific personal age visits to the tomb of her father no in 2002. favours (ngalap berkah). They may ask fewer than seven times. Twice she took in some way. One reason for this is the those prepared to make accommoda- for help with health problems or strait- her vice-presidential running mate Other sites claim similar increases, take-over of many sites by government tions with local beliefs and practices, vis- ened financial circumstances, with Hasyim Muzadi, and on one occasion though the figures are decidedly rubbery. agencies which then require that the iting the tomb of a revered saint is an act employment, promotion, business, was accompanied on a late-night visit by In 1987 a total of 341,385 people visited sites be equally open to all citizens. East of sunnah piety sanctioned by tradition study, fertility, personal relationships ex-president Abdurrahman Wahid. She the Great Mosque at Demak with its adja- Java’s Archeological Service (Dinas Pur- and explicitly urged upon Muslims by and harvests. Very often pilgrims try to paid a final visit to her father’s tomb cent holy graves. By the year 2000 this bakala), for example, has a hand in the verses in the Qur’an as well as by the negotiate a ‘transaction’ or contract three weeks after her defeat in the sec- had jumped to 606,918 people. In the administration of five of the tombs of words of the Prophet. (nadar, nadhar or nazar) with a saint, ond round of the election. same year around one and a half million Java’s renowned Nine Saints (Wali vowing to ‘repay’ the saint in some way people are said to have visited the tomb Sanga) as well as other sites as disparate The Qur’anic verse most often cited in if a wish is granted. At least twice during the presidential of Sunan Kalijaga at nearby Kadilangu. as the tombs of Batoro Katong in justification of pilgrimage is Al-Ma’idah campaign, Megawati’s opponent Susilo In 1997, a million visitors were claimed Ponorogo, Putri Cempa in Trowulan and 35 which exhorts believers to seek ways There seems to be a widespread per- Bambang Yudhoyono visited the tomb for the tomb of Sunan Gunung Jati in Ratu Ibu near Arosbaya in Madura. and means to bring themselves closer to ception that economic success is never of his father in Pacitan, East Java. He Cirebon and in the same year an average God. This is interpreted as permitting wholly a result of individual initiative or also paid his respects – twice – to Sarwo of 1,000 visitors a day were coming to the More powerful still are the brute forces believers to seek tawassul, that is, inter- plain hard work. Wealth comes from Edhie Wibowo, his late father-in-law and tomb of Sunan Giri in Gresik. When I of commercialism. With the rise of mass cession by the Prophet or by another fig- God, or from the fecund realm of the one-time senior general in the Indone- visited the latter two sites last year, staff pilgrimage, communities in and around ure ‘close to God’ on behalf of the believ- supernatural. During the prosperous sian armed forces who lies buried in assured me that visitor numbers were pilgrimage sites are relying more and er. In order to accomplish this, pilgrims years of President Soeharto’s New Order Purworejo, Central Java. Two weeks after well above the 1997 figures. more on pilgrims as a prime source of say, believers may petition God and the holy places were filled with pilgrims his election victory he made a thanks- income. Local people may work as Prophet by way of prayers to a local saint. expressing gratitude for their prosperi- giving pilgrimage to President A principal reason for these increases is guides, provide hospitality services or ty but since 1998 Indonesia’s protract- Soekarno’s tomb in Blitar, just four days that over the past three decades access sell souvenirs. Much of a site’s income On several occasions pilgrims have ed recession seems to have brought before Megawati’s final visit. to sites has improved. Roads, even to comes from ‘voluntary’ contributions or quoted to me the well-known and well- equally large numbers of pilgrims to remote sites, are now sealed and often alms (sedekah) sometimes aggressively authenticated hadith from the Sahih holy places to plead for solutions to their When Clifford Geertz published his served by public transport. Many places demanded of pilgrims at many points in Muslim in which the Prophet is report- economic problems. agenda-setting Religion of Java in 1960 now boast spacious parking areas, eater- the visitation process. ed to have said ‘Visit graves, for that he made no mention of the pilgrimage ies and nearby losmen or hotel accom- makes you mindful of death’ (Sahih For some Muslims the veneration of phenomenon. Today, it is a facet of Java’s modation. In the early 1990s when I Indonesia’s decentralisation is placing Muslim Book 4, number 2130). It is God, or God’s saints, for self-enrichment religious, social and political life that can first visited Kahyangan – a magically pressure on local administrations to often said that the Shafei school of law, is impious and possibly idolatrous. When no longer be overlooked. < beautiful holy place in the hills to the maximise local sources of revenue and which dominates almost exclusively in I questioned one pilgrim about this he south of Tirtomoyo in Central Java – pilgrimage sites are being targeted. Indonesia, classifies the visiting of answered: ‘If I did not ask God, or His General references there was no vehicular access. Pilgrims Some sites now have box offices at their graves as ‘recommended’ (mandub, mus- saints, for the things I need, wouldn’t it - Chambert-Loir, Henri and Anthony Reid, had to walk about two kilometres along entrances. Visitors are required to buy tahabb), though religious scholars in be an act of arrogance on my part? By eds., 2002. The Potent Dead: Ancestors, a rough, steep track to reach the site. entry tickets, the revenue from which Indonesia sometimes add conditions to asking God for wealth, good health and Saints and Heroes in Contemporary Indone- Long-stay visitors (apart from those who may go largely, or entirely, to the local this recommendation. a beautiful wife I am doing no more than sia. Sydney/Honolulu: Asian Studies Asso- were fasting during their stay) had to government. As part of this process ciation of Australia in association with return along the track to a nearby village some local governments are encourag- Allen & Unwin and The University of to buy food. Today a sealed road runs ing, even directly investing in, the devel- Hawai’i Press. right to the site’s entrance where there opment of holy places as tourist attrac- - Chamber-Loir, Henri and Claude Guillot, is also a parking area.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hajj and the Malayan Experience, 1860S–1941
    KEMANUSIAAN Vol. 21, No. 2, (2014), 79–98 Hajj and the Malayan Experience, 1860s–1941 AIZA MASLAN @ BAHARUDIN Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia [email protected] Abstract. Contrary to popular belief, the hajj is a high-risk undertaking for both pilgrims and administrators. For the Malay states, the most vexing problem for people from the mid-nineteenth century until the Second World War was the spread of epidemics that resulted from passenger overcrowding on pilgrim ships. This had been a major issue in Europe since the 1860s, when the international community associated the hajj with the outbreak and spread of infectious diseases. Accusations were directed at various parties, including the colonial administration in the Straits Settlements and the British administration in the Malay states. This article focuses on epidemics and overcrowding on pilgrim ships and the resultant pressure on the British, who were concerned that the issue could pose a threat to their political position, especially when the Muslim community in the Malay states had become increasingly exposed to reformist ideas from the Middle East following the First World War. Keywords and phrases: Malays, hajj, epidemics, British administration, Straits Settlements, Malay states Introduction As with health and education, the colonial powers had to handle religion with great care. The colonisers covertly used these three aspects not only to gain the hearts of the colonised but, more importantly, to maintain their reputation among other colonial powers. Roy MacLeod, for example, sees the introduction of Western medicine to colonised countries as functioning as both cultural agency and western expansion (MacLeod and Lewis 1988; Chee 1982).
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of Pilgrimage Upon the Faith and Faith-Based Practice of Catholic Educators
    The University of Notre Dame Australia ResearchOnline@ND Theses 2018 The impact of pilgrimage upon the faith and faith-based practice of Catholic educators Rachel Capets The University of Notre Dame Australia Follow this and additional works at: https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses Part of the Religion Commons COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969 WARNING The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further copying or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act. Do not remove this notice. Publication Details Capets, R. (2018). The impact of pilgrimage upon the faith and faith-based practice of Catholic educators (Doctor of Philosophy (College of Education)). University of Notre Dame Australia. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/219 This dissertation/thesis is brought to you by ResearchOnline@ND. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@ND. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE IMPACT OF PILGRIMAGE UPON THE FAITH AND FAITH-BASED PRACTICE OF CATHOLIC EDUCATORS A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy, Education The University of Notre Dame, Australia Sister Mary Rachel Capets, O.P. 23 August 2018 THE IMPACT OF PILGRIMAGE UPON THE CATHOLIC EDUCATOR Declaration of Authorship I, Sister Mary Rachel Capets, O.P., declare that this thesis, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in the Faculty of Education, University of Notre Dame Australia, is wholly my own work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage: Bibliometric Overview
    religions Article Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage: Bibliometric Overview Amador Durán-Sánchez 1, José Álvarez-García 2 ID , María de la Cruz del Río-Rama 3,* ID and Cristiana Oliveira 4 1 Faculty of Finance, Business and Tourism, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain; [email protected] 2 Financial Economy and Accounting Department, Faculty of Finance, Business and Tourism, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain; [email protected] 3 Business Organisation and Marketing Department, Faculty of Business Administration and Tourism, University of Vigo, 32004 Ourense, Spain 4 Rector of the European University of the Canary Islands, 38300 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +34-988-368727 Received: 6 July 2018; Accepted: 9 August 2018; Published: 21 August 2018 Abstract: This paper reviews the academic literature related to religious tourism through a bibliometric study and citations of articles indexed in the multidisciplinary database Web of Science (WoS). Through an advanced search by terms, a representative set of 103 documents that form the ad-hoc basis of the analysis were selected. In view of the results, it is concluded that the United States is at the forefront of research, with almost 20% of the articles affiliated to one of its centres, mainly university centres. Publications on religious tourism are currently in an exponential growth stage, supported by the annual increase in the number of citations received. These papers are published in a small number of journals well positioned in their JCR category, classified within the field of Social Sciences Research. Keywords: religious; pilgrimage; bibliometric analysis; Web of Science; WoS 1.
    [Show full text]
  • In the 5Th Century, a Pilgrim Named Egeria Traveled from Spain to What Is Now Istanbul, and on to Jerusalem
    Palm Sunday All Saints, East Lansing April 5, 2020 (during covid-19 pandemic) + In the 5th century, a pilgrim named Egeria traveled from Spain to what is now Istanbul, and on to Jerusalem. She was probably a nun from a wealthy family or perhaps the patron of a convent in Spain and she wrote back to her sisters a long narrative about all her travels to the holy sites mentioned in the Bible and preserved as places of prayer. One of the most fascinating sections of her travel log is about her experiences in Jerusalem during Holy Week. the things that we traditionally do in this week are practices that Christians have observed for more than fifteen hundred years. They are customs that Egeria knew from her convent in Spain and then saw lived out again in Jerusalem. She marvels at the similarity between the traditions that she knew in Spain and those that are kept in Jerusalem. She writes that on the Sunday that begins Holy Week, …The passage from the Gospel is read, where the children, carrying branches and palms, met the Lord, saying; ‘Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord,’ and the bishop immediately rises, and all the people with him, and they all go on foot from the top of the Mount of Olives, all the people going before him with hymns and antiphons, answering one to another: “Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.’ 1 And all the children in the neighborhood, even those who are too young to walk, are carried by their parents on their shoulders, all of them carrying branches, some of palms and some of olives, and so the bishop is escorted in the same manner as the Lord was of old.
    [Show full text]
  • The Islamic Hajj - Pilgrimage: Some Lecture Notes Sacred Journey CORE 166
    The Islamic Hajj - Pilgrimage: Some Lecture Notes Sacred Journey CORE 166 Pilgrim's Journey Diagram Whether it be an individual or group pilgrimage, the fundamental structure that orients a pilgrimage is that of a “rite of passage,” albeit, framed within a journey over a specific landscape to some particular sacred place. In fact, a pilgrimage is typically defined as “travel to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion.” Nevertheless, in the context of any rite of passage, a pilgrimage is also framed within four universal structural components or phases. 1. Spiritually Orphaned: the Goals and Primary Purposes - the primary purpose of a pilgrimage involves the general obligations and needs relating to filling a void - as if spiritually orphaned, and incomplete: a - a pilgrim is of course responding to Allah’s commands, a Muslim carrying out a hajj to Mecca to renew one’s spiritual commitment - to “surrender” to Allah’s will and garner the peace that results b - but accompanied by a specific individual need to fulfill a personal vow or seek a cure or answer to a unresolved question. Pilgrims travel to seek a cure or to refresh their spiritual lives or to fulfill a vow made when ill or for someone else’s illness. It might be an “inner search” for meaning and fulfillment, or personal redemption. It might be to realize an ideal society and set of values, seeing Islam in action, e.g., ethnic inclusivity and tolerance. It might even be a prayer for that “perfect spouse.” c - in addition to the primary purpose linked to reaching a specific place, the journey itself, and what is encountered and experienced along the way is also part of the purpose - the pilgrims’ wanderings, albeit toward a particular destination, served as an allegory for personal growth and the desired passage through a healthy and bountiful life d.
    [Show full text]
  • Bethany Beyond the Jordan
    Additional information received by ICOMOS ICOMOS sent a letter to the State Party on 7 October “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” 2014 requesting additional information with regard to (Jordan) development projects in the property, the management plan as well as monitoring procedures established. A No 1446 second letter was sent on 19 December 2014 requesting further information on boundaries, a construction moratorium for the site, maintenance, visitor- and disaster management, as well as once again monitoring Official name as proposed by the State Party procedures. Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) The State Party responded by letters of 2 November 2014 Location and 4 February 2015, submitting additional information on all the requested items, including a management plan South Shunah District, Governorate of Al-Balqaa prepared for the site and revised maps of the property and The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan buffer zone. Brief description Date of ICOMOS approval of this report The Baptism Site “Bethany beyond the Jordan” is located 12 March 2015 in the Jordan Valley, north of the Dead Sea. The site contains two distinct archaeological areas, Tell el-Kharrar, also known as Jabal Mar Elias, and the area of the Churches of St. John the Baptist. The property is believed 2 The property the location where Jesus of Nazareth was baptised by John the Baptist and is a popular pilgrimage destination Description for Christians. Physical remains associated with the The archaeological site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” is commemoration of this event include a water collection located on the eastern banks of the Jordan River, nine system and pools as well as later built churches, chapels, kilometres north of the Dead Sea.
    [Show full text]
  • After Hajj: Muslim Pilgrims Refashioning Themselves
    religions Article Article After Hajj: Muslim Pilgrims Refashioning Themselves Kholoud Al-Ajarma Kholoud Al-Ajarma Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen, 9712 GK Groningen, The Netherlands; [email protected] of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen, 9712 GK Groningen, The Netherlands; [email protected] Abstract: The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) is one of the five pillars of Islam and a duty which Abstract: The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) is one of the five pillars of Islam and a duty which Muslims must perform—once in a lifetime—if they are physically and financially able to do so. In Muslims must perform—once in a lifetime—if they are physically and financially able to do so. Morocco, from where thousands of pilgrims travel to Mecca every year, the Hajj often represents In Morocco, from where thousands of pilgrims travel to Mecca every year, the Hajj often represents the culmination of years of preparation and planning, both spiritual and logistical. Pilgrims often the culmination of years of preparation and planning, both spiritual and logistical. Pilgrims often describe their journey to Mecca as a transformative experience. Upon successfully completing the describe their journey to Mecca as a transformative experience. Upon successfully completing the pilgrimage and returning home, pilgrims must negotiate their new status—and the expectations pilgrimage and returning home, pilgrims must negotiate their new status—and the expectations that come with it—within the mundane and complex reality of everyday life. There are many am- that come with it—within the mundane and complex reality of everyday life.
    [Show full text]
  • Pilgrimage to Religious Shrines: an Essential Element in the Human Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion
    Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law Volume 25 Issue 3 Article 6 1993 Pilgrimage to Religious Shrines: An Essential Element in the Human Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion Peter W. Mason Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil Part of the International Law Commons Recommended Citation Peter W. Mason, Pilgrimage to Religious Shrines: An Essential Element in the Human Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion, 25 Case W. Res. J. Int'l L. 619 (1993) Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil/vol25/iss3/6 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Journals at Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law by an authorized administrator of Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. Pilgrimage to Religious Shrines: An Essential Element in the Human Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion* Who would true valour see, Let him come hither; One here will constant be, Come wind, come weather. There's no discouragement Shall make him once relent His first avowed intent To be a pilgrim.' I. INTRODUCTION For thousands of years, pilgrims have traveled to religious shrines to witness places of fundamental importance to their religion and to join in worship with a greater religious community.' Today, the devel- opment of air travel and other forms of modem transportation has result- " The author would like to thank Professors Peter Joy, Kenneth Klothen, Virginia Leary, Sidney Picker, Jr., and Petar Sarcevic for their valuable comments on earlier drafts of this Note.
    [Show full text]
  • FROM PATRIARCH to PILGRIM: the Development of the Biblical Figure of Abraham and Its Contribution to the Christian Metaphor of Spiritual Pilgrimage
    Cedarville University DigitalCommons@Cedarville Faculty Dissertations 1988 From Patriarch to Pilgrim: The evelopmeD nt of the Biblical Figure of Abraham and Its Contribution to the Christian Metaphor of Spiritual Pilgrimage Daniel J. Estes Cedarville University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/faculty_dissertations Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Estes, Daniel J., "From Patriarch to Pilgrim: The eD velopment of the Biblical Figure of Abraham and Its Contribution to the Christian Metaphor of Spiritual Pilgrimage" (1988). Faculty Dissertations. 3. http://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/faculty_dissertations/3 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Cedarville, a service of the Centennial Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Cedarville. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FROM PATRIARCH TO PILGRIM: The Development of the Biblical Figure of Abraham and its Contribution to the Christian Metaphor of Spiritual Pilgrimage Daniel John Estes Clare Hall A Thesis Submitted to the University of Cambridge for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 1988 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION 1 1 .1 The Concept of Pilgrimage 1 1.11 Pilgrimage as a Literary Theme 1 1.12 Pilgrimage as a Christian Theme J 1.2 Review of Literature on Abraham 4 1.J Rationale for the Study 10 1.4 Thesis of the Study 12 1.5 Plan for the Study 1) Chapter 2 - ABRAHAM THE SOJOURNER IN GENESIS 12-25 15 2.0 Introduction 15 2,1 Verbs of Movement in the Abrahamic Narratives 15 2.11 Verbs of Geographical Movement 15 2.12 Verbs Related to Tent Dwelling 17 .
    [Show full text]
  • The Prayer of Jesus
    The Prayer of Jesus Dorothy Day Third Hour #6 1954, pp.13-18 *Summary: Summarizes The Way of a Pilgrim and the Jesus prayer. Quotes the book and recommends it as a spiritual classic. Underscores its application in daily living. (DDLW #883).* THE WAY OF A PILGRIM (1)deserves to be set beside The Imitation of Christ, The Practice of the Presence of God and The Spiritual Combat. And when I read it I thought with joy that here was a teaching on prayer that could be used by the worker on his way to and from work, by the busy housewife, by the mother of many children, by the traveller. This teaching, I thought, had been presented, in a way, by Fr. William Doyle, S.J. in his constant ejaculatory prayers; by the Protestant Frank Lauback, in a little pamphlet on his experience in prayer; by Gandhi who used that simple and primitive prayer of India where in the Name of God is repeated until the very lips and throat become weary. “I have used this prayer to banish fear”, Ghandi said; by the author of the Cloud of the Unknowing, who directed us to use some simple word “such a word is this word God or this word Love” Fasten this word to thine heart, with this word thou shalt smite down all manner of thought under the cloud of forgetting." Then began men to cry aloud with the Name of Jehovah." Genesis IV. From the earliest beginnings of recorded history, men called out the Name, as a prayer, with a strong cry and tears, directed towards God in supplications.
    [Show full text]
  • Pilgrimage and Religion: Pilgrim Religiosity on the Ways of St. James
    religions Article Pilgrimage and Religion: Pilgrim Religiosity on the Ways of St. James Patrick Heiser Institute of Sociology, FernUniversität in Hagen, 58084 Hagen, Germany; [email protected] Abstract: Pilgrimages on the Ways of St. James are becoming increasingly popular, so the number of pilgrims registered in Santiago de Compostela has been rising continuously for several decades. The large number of pilgrims is accompanied by a variety of motives for a contemporary pilgrimage, whereby religion is only rarely mentioned explicitly. While pilgrimage was originally a purely religious practice, the connection between pilgrimage and religion is less clear nowadays. Therefore, this paper examines whether and in which way religion shows itself in the context of contemporary pilgrimages on the Ways of St. James. For this purpose, 30 in-depth biographical interviews with pilgrims are analyzed from a sociological perspective on religion by using a qualitative content analysis. This analysis reveals that religion is manifested in many ways in the context of contemporary pilgrimages, whereby seven forms of pilgrim religiosity can be distinguished. They have in common that pilgrims shape their pilgrim religiosity individually and self-determined, but in doing so they rely on traditional and institutional forms of religion. Today’s pilgrim religiosity can therefore be understood as an extra-ordinary form of lived religion, whose popularity may be explained by a specific interrelation of individual shaping and institutional assurance of evidence. Keywords: pilgrimage; Way of St. James; religion; lived religion Citation: Heiser, Patrick. 2021. Pilgrimage and Religion: Pilgrim Religiosity on the Ways of St. James. Religions 12: 167. https://doi.org/ 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Geography of Buddhist Pilgrimage in Asia
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Geography Faculty Publications Geography Program (SNR) 2010 The Geography of Buddhist Pilgrimage in Asia Robert Stoddard University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geographyfacpub Part of the Geography Commons Stoddard, Robert, "The Geography of Buddhist Pilgrimage in Asia" (2010). Geography Faculty Publications. 27. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geographyfacpub/27 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Geography Program (SNR) at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Geography Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Published in Pilgrimage and Buddhist Art, ed. Adriana Proser (New Haven & London: Asia Society/Yale University Press, 2010), pp. 2-4, 178. Copyright © 2010 Robert H. Stoddard. The Geography of Buddhist Pilgrimage in Asia Robert H. Stoddard A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place motivated by reli- where a religious leader was born, delivered spiritual guid- gious devotion. Although the term may be applied to a med- ance, or died. Pilgrimages may also occur at locations sancti- itative search for new spiritual experiences, prolonged wan- fied—according to the worldview of devotees—by miracles derings, or travel to a place of nostalgic meaning for an and similar divine phenomena. In some religions, the impor- individual, here the word refers to the physical journey to a tance of particular places is enhanced by doctrines that obli- distant site regarded as holy. As defined in this essay, pilgrim- gate adherents to make pilgrimages to designated sites.
    [Show full text]