🇸🇦 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 writtenPilgrimage
Millions of people travel every year to a place they hold sacred.
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Millions of people travel every year to a place they hold sacred. The hajj to Mecca, the walk to Santiago, the bath at the Kumbh Mela, the circling of Mount Kailash, the climb of Mount Fuji, the visit to Lourdes or the Western Wall: each is a journey with a purpose beyond travel. Pilgrims describe it as a way to give thanks, to seek forgiveness, to pray for a cure or simply to be near the holy. The road may be long and hard, and much of its meaning lies in the effort and in the company of others. Here is how different peoples go on pilgrimage and what they do when they arrive.
What it is for
A pilgrimage takes a person out of daily life into a time and place set apart. For believers it is a duty, a vow or a gift to the spiritual life, and many say it changes them. It may atone for a fault, fulfil a promise or seek a blessing for the family. Pilgrims often say it taught them humility and gratitude, and made them part of a long line of travellers. Shared hardship creates friendships that last for life, and the sites themselves are often places of great beauty and history.
Common elements across cultures
A pilgrimage has a destination, often a shrine, mountain, river or tomb, and a route, often with traditional stages. Pilgrims carry a staff, a shell or a badge, wear white or simple clothing, and give up comforts. They circle the holy site, bathe in sacred water, touch or kiss a sacred object, light a lamp and leave an offering. Hospitality along the road, from free meals to places to sleep, is a big part of the tradition. The return, with a souvenir or a blessing for those at home, completes the journey.
Food, dress and music
Pilgrim food is plain and shared: dates and water in Mecca, free community meals, langar, at the Golden Temple, simple rice and dal at Hindu centres, bread and wine on the Camino. Dress is modest: white ihram for the hajj, saffron robes in Hindu pilgrimages, black in Orthodox sites. Singing and chanting carry the walkers, from hymns to devotional songs, and bells, drums and conches announce arrival. Many pilgrims bring home a small token, such as a scallop shell, water from the sacred river, prasad sweets or a blessed cloth.
How it is changing
Air travel, buses and organised tours have made pilgrimage faster, and numbers have grown. Crowd control, health and the environment are now major concerns, and sites use apps, timed tickets and digital maps. Meanwhile, many people walk the old routes for a mix of spiritual and personal reasons, including many who say they are not religious. Heritage and tourism agencies work with local communities to protect the sites and the pilgrim's experience. The tradition shows no sign of declining and in some places is growing fast.
Pilgrimage around the world
🇮🇶 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🇮🇳 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 Mela🇳🇵 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🇨🇳 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 PilgrimageTraditions to start with
Kumbh MelaThe great Hindu bathing festival.
Camino de SantiagoThe way of St James.
Shikoku PilgrimageJapan's 88 temples.
Qoyllur Rit'iThe Andean snow-star pilgrimage.Also part of it, and being written: Hajj (The pilgrimage to Mecca.), Arba'in (The walk to Karbala.), Kora (The Tibetan circumambulation.), Lourdes (The French Marian shrine.).
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a pilgrimage and a holiday?
A pilgrimage is a journey with a religious or spiritual purpose, which often involves some hardship. Many people now combine the two, and the distinction is up to the traveller.
Do you need to be religious to walk a pilgrim route?
No. Many routes, such as the Camino, are walked by people of all beliefs and none, though they are asked to respect the sacred sites and the customs of the places.
What do pilgrims wear?
Often plain or traditional dress: white for the hajj and in Japan, saffron in Hindu sites, and practical walking clothes on European routes. A badge, shell or staff is common.
Is pilgrimage a duty?
In Islam the hajj is one of the five pillars, for those who can. In other faiths it is highly valued but optional.
How do I behave at a sacred site?
Dress modestly, remove shoes where asked, keep quiet, ask before photographing, and follow the instructions of local guides and worshippers.
About 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.
Pilgrimage on EveryParampara
The traditions written up so far, best known first.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
🇵🇪 Lima, PeruLord of MiraclesSeñor de los Milagros
An October Catholic festival in Lima honouring a miraculous mural of ChristSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 IndiaUttarayanaउत्तरायण (Uttarāyaṇa)
The Sun's six-month journey north, kept as an auspicious Hindu season and festivalSeasonal
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 2 moreSigdስግድ
An Ethiopian Jewish holiday of covenant renewal, fasting, and longing for ZionSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇵🇪 Cusco, PeruQoyllur Rit'iQuyllurit'i
An Andean mountain pilgrimage uniting indigenous star lore and Catholic devotionSpiritual
🇪🇸 Seville, SpainHoly Week in SpainSemana Santa
Annual Catholic penitential processions across Spain featuring floats, robes and music to mark the Passion of Christ.Spiritual
🇮🇳 Vrindavan, India and 2 moreGovardhan Puja
A Hindu festival of piled vegetarian foods and sculpted earth, honouring KrishnaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Tiruvannamalai, India and 1 moreKarthika DeepamKārtikai Tīpam
A Tamil and Malayali Hindu festival of lights honouring Shiva, Kartikeya and ParvatiSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 IndiaParyushana
An annual Jain holy period of intense fasting, reflection, and asking for forgivenessSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇦🇱 Elbasan, Albania and 3 moreDita e Verës
An Albanian spring festival of bonfires, sweets and nature renewal on March 14Seasonal
🇵🇭 Kalibo, PhilippinesAti-Atihan
A week of drumbeats, street dancing, and devotion to the Infant Jesus in AklanFestival
🇮🇳 Guwahati, IndiaAmbubachi Melaঅম্বুবাচী মেলা
An annual gathering at Kamakhya Temple marking the earth's seasonal fertility.Spiritual
🇮🇳 Pushkar, IndiaPushkar FairKartik Mela
An annual camel and livestock fair with lake pilgrimage rites in Rajasthan, IndiaFestival
🇮🇳 IndiaPushkaram
A river worship festival rotating across twelve sacred Indian rivers over twelve yearsSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaGanga Dussehra
A ten-day Hindu river festival celebrating the descent of the Ganges to earthSpiritual
🇩🇿 AlgeriaMawlid in Algeriaيوم المولد النبوي
The Prophet Muhammad's birthday celebration in Algeria with family feasts and prayersFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇪🇬 Thebes, EgyptBeautiful Festival of the Valleyhb nfr n jnt
An ancient Egyptian festival honouring the dead with river processions across ThebesSpiritual
🇮🇳 Kanchipuram, IndiaPanguni UthiramPaṅkuṉi Uttiram
A Tamil Hindu festival celebrating divine weddings and the virtues of married lifeSpiritual
🇮🇳 Puri, IndiaNabakalebaraନବ କଳେବର (Navakalevara)
A rare ritual in Puri where the wooden idols of four Hindu deities are replaced with new carvings every twelve to nineteSpiritual
🇲🇦 Rabat, Morocco and 5 moreFantasiaالفانتازيا
A North African equestrian display of synchronized charging and simultaneous rifle fireGame
🇱🇰 Mihintale, Sri LankaPoson
A Sri Lankan Buddhist festival marking the ancient arrival of Buddhism on the islandSpiritual
🇮🇳 Haridwar, IndiaKumbh MelaKumbha Mēlā
A major Hindu riverside pilgrimage held across four rotating holy cities in IndiaSpiritual
🇸🇳 Touba, Senegal and 1 moreGrand Magal of Touba
An annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Touba in Senegal, kept by followers of the Mouride Sufi order.Spiritual
🇬🇪 GeorgiaAlaverdobaალავერდობა
A harvest and saint's feast celebrated at Alaverdi Cathedral in eastern GeorgiaSpiritual
🇵🇰 Lahore, PakistanMela Chiraghanمیلہ چراغاں
A three-day Lahore festival honouring the sixteenth-century Sufi poet Shah Hussain.Spiritual
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoPassion Play of Iztapalapa
A community passion play staged across Iztapalapa during Holy WeekSpiritual
🇪🇹 Lalibela, Ethiopia and 1 moreEthiopian Christmasገና
The Christian Nativity feast, marked by night vigils, white garments and field hockeySpiritual
🇱🇺 Echternach, LuxembourgDancing procession of EchternachIechternacher Sprangprëssioun
A Roman Catholic hopping pilgrimage honouring Saint Willibrord in eastern LuxembourgSpiritual
🇧🇪 Bruges, BelgiumProcession of the Holy BloodHeilig Bloedprocessie
An annual sacred parade and historical pageant through the streets of Bruges, Belgium.Spiritual
🇵🇭 Manila, PhilippinesHoly Week in the PhilippinesMahal na Araw
An eight-day observance of the Passion, death, and resurrection of Christ in the Philippines.Spiritual
🇵🇸 Jericho, PalestineNabi Musaٱلنَّبِي مُوْسَى
An annual Palestinian Muslim pilgrimage and festival honoring the prophet MosesSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇪 Killorglin, Ireland and 1 moreLughnasadhLúnasa
A Gaelic festival marking the start of harvest with feasts, fairs and mountain walksSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇩🇿 Tiaret, Algeria and 1 moreMawsimموسم
An annual regional festival and pilgrimage across Northwest AfricaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇵🇭 Philippines and 5 moreMaundy ThursdayDies Cenae Domini
A Christian feast marking the start of Easter observances with foot washing and communion services.Spiritual
🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 moreBaul traditionবাউল
A Bengali devotional minstrel path uniting mystic poetry, music and dancePerformance
🇹🇼 Taichung, TaiwanDajia Mazu Pilgrimage大甲媽祖遶境進香
A nine-day walking procession across central Taiwan honouring the sea goddess MazuSpiritual
🇧🇷 Salvador, BrazilLavagem do Bonfim
An annual inter-religious procession and cleansing ritual in Salvador, BrazilSpiritual
🇵🇹 Barcelos, Portugal and 1 moreRooster of BarcelosGalo de Barcelos
A Portuguese tale of a roast rooster that crowed to clear an innocent manFolklore
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelVia Dolorosaطريق الآلام (Arabic) / ויה דולורוזה (Hebrew)
A pilgrim walk through Jerusalem's Old City, marking the last journey of JesusSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreProstration
Bowing the whole body to the ground, in prayer and as a sign of respectSpiritual
🇯🇵 JapanShikoku Pilgrimage四国遍路
A long circuit of 88 temples on Japan's Shikoku island, kept by pilgrims called henroSpiritual
🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi ArabiaUmrahعُمْرَة
A pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims may make at most times of year, unlike the HajjSpiritual
🇮🇹 Venice, ItalyFesta del RedentoreFesta del Redentor
Venice's July festival of fireworks over the water, kept in thanks for the plague's endFestival
🇭🇷 Zagreb, Croatia and 1 moreLicitarlicitarska srca
A hand-painted honey biscuit given as a gift at weddings and on Valentine's DayCraft · Sweets given and shared
🇬🇹 Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala and 3 moreMaximón
A folk saint of the Guatemalan highlands, asked for health, crops and protectionFolklore
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreFour speciesארבעת המינים (Arba'at HaMinim)
A ritual waving of four plants during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.Spiritual
🇮🇳 Tiruvannamalai, IndiaGirivalam
A barefoot walk of about 14 km around Arunachala hill, most of all on full moon nightsSpiritual
🇮🇳 Palani, India and 5 moreKavadi Aattamகாவடி ஆட்டம்
Tamil devotees of Murugan carry burdens as a vow during ThaipusamSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 3 moreBhajanभजनम् (bhajanam)
Devotional songs of South Asia, sung alone or together with drums and cymbalsPerformance
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Presentation of Jesus at the Temple: Gaudenzio Ferrari, Public domain, source
- Shikoku Pilgrimage: Dokudami, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Prostration: Meghan Breeze, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sigd: האגודה הישראלית למען יהודי אתיופיה, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lord of Miracles: Miguel Chong, Public domain, source
- Govardhan Puja: Ms Sarah Welch, CC0, source
- Holy Week in Spain: Rodelar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Qoyllur Rit'i: AgainErick, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dita e Verës: Bibiomn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ati-Atihan: Bernardo "Berniemack" Arellano III, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kumbh Mela: Yosarian, CC BY 3.0, source
- Poson: Hafiz Issadeen (YIM Hafiz), Dharga Town, Sri Lanka ( https://www.flick, CC BY 2.0, source
- Fantasia: Jfcapdet, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Beautiful Festival of the Valley: Norman de Garis Davies, Nina Davies (2-dimensional 1 to 1 Copy of an 1, Public domain, source
- Mawlid in Algeria: Hammiche Hakim, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lavagem do Bonfim: Adenilson Nunes/ AGECOM, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage: Mazubobee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Procession of the Holy Blood: Cbl62, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ethiopian Christmas: Tanjagari, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mawsim: Beghdadi Walid, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alaverdoba: Grigory Gagarin, Public domain, source
- Mela Chiraghan: Muhammad Umair Mirza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Passion Play of Iztapalapa: Eneas De Troya, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dancing procession of Echternach: David Edgar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Holy Week in the Philippines: LMP 2001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nabi Musa: Mujaddara, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lughnasadh: Mountainash333, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Maundy Thursday: Benedetto Caliari, Public domain, source
- Karthika Deepam: SriniG, Public domain, source
- Baul tradition: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
- Paryushana: Aayush18, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ambubachi Mela: Kunal Dalui, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pushkar Fair: sheetal saini, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pushkaram: Adityamadhav83, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ganga Dussehra: Barry Silver, CC BY 2.0, source
- Panguni Uthiram: Krithika.R.S, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nabakalebara: Jitpattnaikpuri, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Camino de Santiago: stephenD, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rooster of Barcelos: Adriculas, Public domain, source
- Umrah: The original uploader was Medineli at English Wikipedia ., CC0, source
- Festa del Redentore: Photographer: Riccardo Speziari, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Licitar: Seanpu1, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Maximón: Sapfan (Jan Pesula), Public domain, source
- Four species: עוטה אור, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Girivalam: Sakthiprasanna, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kavadi Aattam: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
- Bhajan: Bootervijay at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source