Pilgrimage

What does it mean to be a pilgrim?

Throughout history people have been called by their faith traditions or by their own moral compasses to journey to places of spiritual, historical or religious significance. Pilgrimages often follow proscribed routes to places associated with a faith's founders, for example the Way of St. James has been practiced by Christians for centuries. The largest pilgrimage event is the world is the Haj which draws millions of Muslims to Mecca every year. Other renowned pilgrimages include the Hindu Kumbh Mela, Buddhist pilgrimages to sites associated with Buddha and Jewish pilgrimage to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. In modern times, many individuals make "personal pilgrimages" choosing spectacular natural settings or great works of art and architecture as their destinations. Some practices, such as walking a labyrinth have been described as metaphorical pilgrimages.