Editing Pilgrimage (section)

==History==
[[File:Man wearing pilgrim clothing, 450-425 BC, Prague NM-HM10 771, 151792.jpg|thumb|upright|Ancient Greek ''lekythos'' showing a pilgrim from 450-425 BC]]
Pilgrims and the making of [[pilgrimages]] are common in many [[religion]]s, including the faiths of [[ancient Egypt]], [[Persia]] in the [[Mithraism|Mithraic period]], [[India]], [[China]], and [[Japan]]. The [[ancient Greece|Greek]] and [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] customs of consulting the [[Deity|gods]] at local [[oracle]]s, such as those at [[Dodona]] or [[Delphi]], both in [[Greece]], are widely known. In [[Greece]], pilgrimages could either be personal or state-sponsored.<ref>{{cite journal |title= Pilgrims and Pilgrimage in Ancient Greece by Matthew Dillon |first= James Constantine |last= Hanges |journal= The Journal of Religion |volume= 80 |issue= 3 |date=July 2000 |pages= 543–545 |doi= 10.1086/490704 |jstor=1206041}}</ref> The [[Eleusinian Mysteries|Eleusinian mysteries]] included a pilgrimage. The procession to [[Eleusis]] began at the [[Athens|Athenian]] cemetery [[Kerameikos]] and from there the participants walked to Eleusis, along the [[Sacred Way]] (Ἱερὰ Ὁδός, ''Hierá Hodós'').<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Nielsen|first=Inge|date=2017|title=Collective mysteries and Greek pilgrimage: The cases of Eleusis, Thebes and Andania, in: Excavating Pilgrimage|journal=Excavating Pilgrimage|page=28|doi=10.4324/9781315228488-3|url=https://www.academia.edu/36776460|language=en}}</ref>

In the early period of [[History of ancient Israel and Judah|Hebrew history]], pilgrims traveled to [[Shiloh (Biblical city)|Shiloh]], [[Dan (biblical city)|Dan]], [[Bethel]], and eventually [[Jerusalem]] (see also [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals]], a practice followed by other [[Abrahamic religion]]s). These festivals, including Passover, Tabernacles, and [[Shavuot]], often involved journeys that reflected a physical and spiritual movement, similar to the concept of "[[Tirtha (Hinduism)|tirtha]] yātrā" in Hinduism, where "tirtha" means "ford" or "crossing," and "yatra" signifies a journey or procession.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Singh |first1=Rana P. B. |title=Hindu Pilgrimages: The Contemporary Scene |date=2015 |work=The Changing World Religion Map: Sacred Places, Identities, Practices and Politics |pages=783–801 |editor-last=Brunn |editor-first=Stanley D. |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-017-9376-6_39 |access-date=2024-09-13 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-94-017-9376-6_39 |isbn=978-94-017-9376-6 |last2=Haigh |first2=Martin J.|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fallon |first1=J. M. |last2=Jaiswal |first2=N. K. |date=2012 |title=Sacred Space, Sacred Water: Exploring the Role of Water in India's Sacred Places |url=https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/rasaala/article/view/2191 |journal=Recreation and Society in Africa, Asia and Latin America |language=en |volume=3 |issue=1 |issn=1916-7873}}</ref> While many pilgrims travel toward a specific location, a physical destination is not always a necessity. One group of pilgrims in early [[Celtic Christianity]] were the ''Peregrinari Pro Christ'', (Pilgrims for Christ), or "white martyrs", who left their homes to wander in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.heartoglory.com/celtic/celtic-saints.php |title= The Celtic Saints |website= Heart O' Glory |year= 2007 |access-date= 2007-10-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071014034803/http://www.heartoglory.com/celtic/celtic-saints.php |archive-date= 2007-10-14 }}</ref> This form of pilgrimage, akin to the concept of "[[hajj]]" in Islam, which means "procession," was an [[asceticism|ascetic]] religious practice, as the pilgrim left the security of home and the [[clan]] for an unknown destination, trusting completely in [[Divine Providence]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Illustrations |date=2021-02-09 |work=The Hajj |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv19fvzqz.14 |access-date=2024-09-13 |publisher=Princeton University Press|doi=10.2307/j.ctv19fvzqz.14 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> These travels often resulted in the founding of new [[abbey]]s and the spread of Christianity among the pagan population in [[Sub-Roman Britain|Britain]] and in continental Europe.

In the Middle Ages, Christian pilgrimage became a relevant economic sector, initially through facilities at popular pilgrimage destinations, but later also through organised group trips for pilgrims throughout the Mediterranean region.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ritter|first=Max |date=2019 |lang=de |title=Zwischen Glaube und Geld. Zur Ökonomie des byzantinischen Pilgerwesens (4.–12. Jh.) |trans-title=Between faith and money. On the economy of Byzantine pilgrimage (4th-12th century) |publisher=Verlag des RGZM | location=Mainz |doi=10.11588/propylaeum.654 |isbn=978-3-88467-316-4 |url=https://doi.org/10.11588/propylaeum.654}}</ref>

The ceremonial center [[Chavín de Huántar]] served as a gathering place for people of the pre-[[Inca]] culture [[Chavín culture|Chavín]] to come together, to attend and participate in rituals, consult an oracle, worship or enter a cult, and collect ideas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chavin (Archaeological Site) |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/330/ |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=whc.unesco.org}}</ref>

Pilgrimage experienced a new change with the improvement of infrastructure from the 19th century onwards.<ref>Civelli, Ignaz (2021). ''Der Pilger im Coupé. Pilgerreisen mit der Eisenbahn 1850 bis 1939 – Eine Alltagsgeschichte'' [The pilgrim in the coupé. Pilgrimages by train from 1850 to 1939 - an [[Alltagsgeschichte]]<nowiki />]. Hamburg, {{ISBN|978-3-347-24906-6}}.</ref>