🇮🇳 India
The Kumbh Mela, held in rotation at four cities, gathers tens of millions for a holy bath, and the Char Dham and Varanasi are year-round destinations. Sikh pilgrims visit the Golden Temple at Amritsar.
Read: Kumbh MelaPilgrimage: compared across 20 places
The same idea in 20 places, grouped by region. Each entry is a short portrait; follow the link for the full tradition.
South Asia 3Southeast Asia 1East Asia 3Central Asia and the Caucasus 1Middle East 3North Africa 1Sub-Saharan Africa 2Europe 3North America 1Latin America and the Caribbean 1Oceania 1
South Asia
🇳🇵 Nepal
Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, draws Buddhists from every country, and Pashupatinath in Kathmandu hosts the great Maha Shivaratri gathering of Hindu sadhus. Pilgrims also visit the Muktinath shrine, which is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists.
Lumbini, being written🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Adam's Peak is climbed by pilgrims of several faiths at night, by thousands of steps, to see the sunrise and the sacred footprint. The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy is also a major shrine.
Adam's Peak, being writtenSoutheast Asia
🇮🇩 Indonesia
At Vesak, thousands of Buddhists walk from the temple of Mendut to Borobudur in Java, carrying lanterns and chanting, and lanterns are released into the sky at night. The temple is the largest Buddhist monument in the world.
Borobudur, being writtenEast Asia
🇨🇳 Tibet and China
Tibetan pilgrims walk the kora, a circuit, around Mount Kailash, some prostrating along the full length of the route. The Five Sacred Mountains and Mount Tai are traditional Chinese destinations.
Mount Kailash, being written🇯🇵 Japan
The Shikoku pilgrimage, the henro, follows 88 temples associated with the monk Kukai, taking weeks on foot, and the Kumano Kodo trails are a UNESCO World Heritage route. Pilgrims wear white and a conical hat.
Read: Shikoku Pilgrimage🇰🇷 Korea
Temple stays and walks to mountain shrines, such as the circuit of Jirisan, are growing, and Buddhist pilgrims walk the Jeju Olle trails, which now attract many visitors of other faiths. Walking, quiet and a simple meal of rice and vegetables are the common elements of these journeys.
Jeju Olle Trail, being writtenCentral Asia and the Caucasus
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
The mausoleum of the Sufi poet Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkestan is a major pilgrimage site, so important that locals say three visits equal one hajj. Pilgrims come from across Central Asia to pray and to ask for blessing.
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, being writtenMiddle East
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
The hajj to Mecca is a duty once in a lifetime for those who are able, with the pilgrims in white ihram circling the Kaaba, standing at Arafat and throwing stones. About two million people take part each year.
Hajj, being written🇮🇶 Iraq
Arbaeen is a mass walking pilgrimage to Karbala, forty days after Ashura, in which millions of Shia Muslims walk for days, fed by volunteers along the road. It is among the largest gatherings in the world.
Arba'in, being written🇮🇱 Israel and Palestine
Jerusalem is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and pilgrims pray at the Western Wall, walk the Via Dolorosa and visit Al-Aqsa. Bethlehem, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee are also pilgrimage sites.
Jerusalem, being writtenNorth Africa
🇹🇳 Tunisia
On the island of Djerba, Jewish pilgrims from many countries gather at the El Ghriba synagogue each year around Lag BaOmer, for a festival of prayer, candles and music. It is one of the oldest synagogues in Africa.
El Ghriba Synagogue, being writtenSub-Saharan Africa
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Lalibela, with its 12th-century rock-hewn churches, hosts thousands of Orthodox pilgrims in white at Genna and Timkat. Pilgrims often walk many days to reach it.
Lalibela, being written🇸🇳 Senegal
The Grand Magal of Touba, held each year, gathers millions of Mouride Sufi followers at the holy city to honour its founder, Cheikh Amadou Bamba, with prayer, recitation and shared meals. Women prepare food for the pilgrims, and the city is open to all who come to pray.
Read: Grand Magal of ToubaEurope
🇪🇸 Spain
The Camino de Santiago leads to the shrine of St James at Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims carry a shell, stamp a credencial and may walk for weeks, with a Pilgrim's Mass at the end.
Read: Camino de Santiago🇫🇷 France
Lourdes receives millions of Catholic pilgrims each year, many of them sick or disabled, who bathe in the spring water and take part in a candlelit procession in the evening. Volunteers help the sick and disabled, and the sanctuary offers services in many languages.
Lourdes, being written🇵🇱 Poland
The Black Madonna of Czestochowa is Poland's national shrine, and each August walking pilgrimages converge from across the country, some covering hundreds of kilometres. Walkers sleep in barns and homes along the way, and villagers feed them as a matter of honour.
Jasna Góra Monastery, being writtenNorth America
🇲🇽 Mexico
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is among the most visited Catholic sites in the world, and on 12 December pilgrims arrive on foot, on bicycles and on their knees. A mass is held at dawn, and mariachi bands sing the traditional mananitas to the Virgin.
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, being writtenLatin America and the Caribbean
🇵🇪 Peru
Qoyllur Rit'i is a high-altitude pilgrimage near Cusco, where thousands of Quechua pilgrims climb to a glacier shrine at about 4,700 metres, with dance troupes and offerings. Dancers dressed as ukukus, bear figures, climb to the glacier and bring down blocks of ice, believed to have healing power.
Read: Qoyllur Rit'iOceania
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
Walkers from Australia and Papua New Guinea make the Kokoda Track, a long trail through the mountains, as a pilgrimage to remember the soldiers who fought there in 1942. Many hold a short service at the memorial at the end.
Kokoda Track, being writtenAbout this page
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.