What is a pilgrimage? The word pilgrimage means or refers to "A journey of a pilgrim", "One to a shrine or a sacred place", or "The course of life on earth" (qtd. In Webster 9:286).

Pilgrimages may also be defined as journeys made to some places. They traveled with the purpose of earning respect or to distribute some sort of religious beliefs. In Christianity, journeys were made to a saint’s shrine or other sacred place. Some of these pilgrimages gained varieties of needs as to worship whatever to gain supernatural help. It can also be as a result of being thankful for the sake of devotion and faith.

The idea of a pilgrimage has been traced back by some thousands and thousands of years, since the beginning of Early Times. These people traveled in different directions and they had a selection of hardship problems, such as, robbers, war armies, malaria, and weather conditions. By supernatural help, the pilgrimages are referring to their culture beliefs such as customs of their ancestors. These were traditional customs passed to them from generation to generation. Just as back then starting from the Early Times up to the Middle Ages, people had no ways of knowing many things. They believed in measuring time by the winters, as in "Beowulf". They had to rely on the sun for time of day, on the moon for times of changes, and on the climates.

The majority of those pilgrimages whom traveled to Rome during the middle ages carried a major health warning. The disease of Malaria was hit hard on the pilgrimages because they didn’t know that it was contagious. They didn’t have any common sense that the disease could be transmitted to one another.

These pilgrimages faced serious and dangerous things. Theft was very common among them. Their belongings that they carried were stolen. They were left without anything. The war armies that they faced were groups of men, belonging to other tribes. These other tribes were attacking due to their own belief was the Catholicism.

The weather conditions for these pilgrimages were bad. At times, especially during winter months, they traveled through snow, ice, and cold water. At this time, their adventures were delayed. For these pilgrimages, the only desire was to get to the places where the gods or heroes were born or died. These people were determined to travel through above all things to these sacred places to gain power and devine aid. These hardship journeys made a pilgrimage a real with efficient penance for thanksgiving and devotion. Men crossed Europe to visit the Holy Places or Holy Land. The customs arose from their hearts. It was found in all religions.

It was their belief to gain power by visiting spots made holy by the birth, life, or death of the god or prophet. They worshiped the shrines, believing that they gain power and also thought it was necessary to follow. It was found in religion, therefore, the custom itself arose spontaneously. They loved this by heart these sites became grateful memories to them.

Some of the pilgrimages prepared the whole route beforehand and mapped out the cities to go. The bodies of troops were to get together to protect the pilgrims. Christians invented a method of participation in the merits of a pilgrimage for those unable actually to take part in them, it established along the line. Wars were fought to insure their safety while the crusades began to defend themselves. Then the pilgrimages were everywhere to grant access some free time for peace and war. The pilgrimages were being regarded as part of living a normal life.

They made the way safe and thus allowed noble and common people to start for Jerusalem. Yet when the first apparition begin to appear they were represented to us without a word of astonishment or a note of novelty, as though people were already fully accustomed to those adventures.

Pilgrimage has many different meanings. It can mean different things to different cultures. It meant moving toward God, therefore, these people traveled as an invitation to trust God completely, and to listen to his words and to be converted into a complete Christian.
 
 

Webster, Merriam. "Webster’s Nineth New Collegiate Dictionary."

    Copyright @ 1988, Merriam-Webster Inc., Published, p. 892.

    Springfield, Massachuetts, United States of America.

Jarret, Bede. "Catholic Encyclopedia". Copyright @ 1911. By Appleton

    Company, Vol. XII. P.3, 1 June 1911.

Subject:
        report on Pilgrimage
   Date:
        Thu, 4 Oct 2001 02:58:13 EDT
   From:
        GGDOVA@aol.com
     To:
        "engl2322" <engl2322@swtjc.net>
 
 
 

Gloria G. Dovalina
Ms. Jill Coe
English 2322
September 26, 2001
 

                                           Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage or journeys made to different parts of the world were basically done for the purpose of Church and religion beliefs. We have the Pilgrimage to Rome throughout the Middle Ages carried a major health warning. This would depend on the  route taken by travelers. They could expect to meet with a selection of the following:  shipwreck, avalanche, robbers, warring armies or malaria. Prudent Pilgrims made their wills before setting out, for they knew they might not make it alive to Rome. Others ventured without taking the proper precautions. Their troubles were not over if they reached Rome. Their misadvantures often left them poor, in which case food and accommodation were hard to come by. Other travelers faced the opposite risk of hijacking by landlords so eager for their custom that they snatched them from rival establishments.

Pilgrimage is a sacred journey to a place of spiritual, religious or personal importance. For many pilgrims, the experience of the journey and the lessons it imparts are as important to their spiritual growth as reaching the final destination.

The Sacred Places Mission is to offer travelers the opportunity for growth, spiritual growth, spiritual awareness and deepend faith the unique experience of pilgrimage. In travels to lands sacred to diverse cultures, participation in spiritual ceremonies , and cultural education, Sacred Places Travel offers plilgrims the chance to learn, connect and further their own spiritual journeys.

Pilgrimage is by nature mythological, putting us in touch with the heroic and visionary parts of each one of us, so that we can return home to live our lives with redoubled courage and clarity. In pilgrimage, one can find beauty and renewal in the unexpected, in sacred sites, a bird singing, an encounter with a fellow traveler, a tiny seashell, a noisy market, a dream, and even the inevitable obstacles that occur when on pilgrimage. Pilgrims are soulful traveler, letting new images, sensations, and experiences become part of the dance of transformation.

I find that in "Beowulf" people were not aware of many things, For example, people relied on the strongest man, one like Beowulf with supernatural powers and always ready to defend the needy people. Beowulf was capable  of defending them from monsters or any kind of wars to live a peaceful life, since they considered him the chosen one.

Pilgrimage sees life as a journey, and as an adventure of discovery. We have the Pilgrims who visited some holy place with religious intent. Pilgrimages are characteristics of many religious, such as those of ancient Egypt, Persia in the Mithraic period, India, China, and Japan. The Greek and Roman custom of consulting the gods at local oracles were ar Dodona or Delphi. Both of this are in Greece, and are widely known.

The early Christians made pilgrimages to the scenes of the Passion of Christ in Jerusalem. Even after Jerusalem had been occupied by the Saracens, the liberty of pilgrimage, on payment of a tax, was secured by treaty. The neccessity of protecting pilgrims gave rise to the medieval military orders, such as the Knights Templars.

In the early period of Hebrew history, pilgrimages were made to Shiloh and Dan (both in what is now Israel) and to Bethel (now Beitin, Jordan). The great Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca (now Saudi Arabia), a survival of pilgrimages, particularly to the tombs of saints,are numerous.

Even after Jerusalem had been occupied by the Saracens, was secured by treaty: the necessity of protecting pilgrims gave rise to the medieval military orders, such as the Knights Templars.

                                           Works Cited

Sentman, Everett Edgar. "The American Educator Encyclopedia".
Copyright @ 1922. by the United Educator, Inc., Publisher, Vol.18.p.119, May 1922.

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