The Religious Pilgrimage. Its Place and Role in the Contemporary World Cover Image

Pelerinajul religios. Locul și rolul său ȋn lumea contemporană
The Religious Pilgrimage. Its Place and Role in the Contemporary World

Author(s): Mirel Bănică
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Theology and Religion, Eastern Orthodoxy
Published by: EDITURA ARHIEPISCOPIEI DUNĂRII DE JOS
Keywords: pilgrimage; waiting line; ritual; popular religion; ritual food; music; aromatics.

Summary/Abstract: This article aims to first present the history and development of religious pilgrimages within the Orthodox Church of contemporary Romania. The starting point is the foundational moment of these pilgrimages, marked by the bringing of the head of Saint Andrew the Apostle to Iași and Galați in the 1990s. It is followed by a sociological analysis of the main elements that define pilgrimage today: ambient music, the distribution of free food, the management of the space in which it takes place, and the interaction with local authorities and the population. The discussion also includes new norms and operational restrictions from the secular world that influence the development of pilgrimages and their future evolution. Pilgrimage is and will remain the most important form of public and popular religiosity in contemporary Romania.

  • Issue Year: XXII/2024
  • Issue No: 22
  • Page Range: 326-337
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Romanian
Toggle Accessibility Mode