Research

14 pages, 237 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Maritime Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Tarac and Gender Roles Reflected in It

by Karmen Turčinov

Religions 2024, 15(3), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15030303 - 29 Feb 2024

Viewed by 660

The maritime pilgrimage of Our Lady of Tarac in the Kornati islands, Dalmatia, Croatia, is held on the first Sunday in July. The culture of these island communities is based on a patriarchal system that implies gender inequality. This cultural order has an [...] Read more.

The maritime pilgrimage of Our Lady of Tarac in the Kornati islands, Dalmatia, Croatia, is held on the first Sunday in July. The culture of these island communities is based on a patriarchal system that implies gender inequality. This cultural order has an impact on the construction of gender and religious identities in children and adults when they participate in pilgrimages. The basic methodological approach of the paper is autoethnography. The author concludes that the model of cryptomatriarchy along with the dominant patriarchy well explains well the role of women/mothers and grandmothers in the context of the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage also serves as a framework for transferring gender roles to children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Transformation of Pilgrimage Studies)

19 pages, 3612 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Constructing Mary through Pilgrimages: Lived Catholic Mariology in Poland

by Anna Niedźwiedź

Religions 2023, 14(11), 1420; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14111420 - 13 Nov 2023

Viewed by 935

Abstract

This article presents selected aspects of Marian pilgrimages in the context of lived Catholicism in Poland. Lived Catholic Mariology is a concept introduced in this paper and discussed in terms of the intimate as well as communal relationships people establish with Mary through [...] Read more.

This article presents selected aspects of Marian pilgrimages in the context of lived Catholicism in Poland. Lived Catholic Mariology is a concept introduced in this paper and discussed in terms of the intimate as well as communal relationships people establish with Mary through and in various rituals (e.g., pilgrimages), sites (e.g., shrines) and objects (e.g., images). Links between materializing Mary through images; affective, sensual and corporeal religious experiences; and community bonding are presented. They are discussed by drawing on approaches that refer to material religion, religion as mediation, concepts of sensational forms, and aesthetic formations. When examining the centrality of Marian images in Polish pilgrimage practices, this paper focuses on earlier developments, especially (1) those connected with the growth of Marian shrines during the Counter Reformation period and (2) the role played by traditional and innovative Marian pilgrimages during the Communist period in Poland (1945–1989). The final part of the paper refers to the recent changes connected with political polarization of Polish society, the process of radicalization through right-wing discourses that embrace Marian imagery and pilgrimages, the decline of Roman Catholicism and Catholic practices among Poles, and emerging alternative currents relating to Mary and pilgrimages in religious and secular contexts. Referring to various historical and current examples, this paper proposes seeing pilgrimages through the lived religion approach with a focus on materiality and mediatory dimension of religion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Transformation of Pilgrimage Studies)

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11 pages, 1382 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Local Pilgrimage in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Our Lady of the Snows in Kukljica, Croatia

by Adriana Branka Pojatina

Religions 2023, 14(9), 1186; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14091186 - 17 Sep 2023

Viewed by 622

Abstract

This article is based on ethnographic research conducted in Kukljica on the island of Ugljan (Croatia) beginning in August 2020 for the purpose of the author’s doctoral thesis. The complexity of initiating research in a new locality was further burdened by the pandemic, [...] Read more.

This article is based on ethnographic research conducted in Kukljica on the island of Ugljan (Croatia) beginning in August 2020 for the purpose of the author’s doctoral thesis. The complexity of initiating research in a new locality was further burdened by the pandemic, which inevitably affected the outset of fieldwork in this case. This article is thus intended to demonstrate how ethnographic research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and present an image of “corona reality“ in the context of a local-scale pilgrimage. Through the example of the author’s research in Kukljica, this article shows how the research community adapted to the prevailing situation, which was characterized by restrictions and the introduction of new rules, and demonstrates the continuity of local religious practice in a global crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Transformation of Pilgrimage Studies)

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15 pages, 1774 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Religious Materiality and Virtual Sainthood: The Case of Shna Ndou (St. Anthony) Pilgrimage in Laç

by Gianfranco Bria and Maria Chiara Giorda

Religions 2023, 14(9), 1113; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14091113 - 28 Aug 2023

Viewed by 822

Abstract

The interdisciplinary perspective, between history and anthropology, of our contribution has as its subject the pilgrimage at Kisha e Shna Ndout (Sanctuary of St. Anthony of Padua) in Laç, northern Albania, which is one of the most visited religious sites in southeastern Europe. [...] Read more.

The interdisciplinary perspective, between history and anthropology, of our contribution has as its subject the pilgrimage at Kisha e Shna Ndout (Sanctuary of St. Anthony of Padua) in Laç, northern Albania, which is one of the most visited religious sites in southeastern Europe. The church, built there and ministered by Franciscans, is now an impressive place of worship frequented throughout the year by thousands of pilgrims. On the 12th and 13th of June of each year, an official pilgrimage is held, which reaches its climax on the night of the 12th, when thousands of Albanians sleep in the shrine seeking blessings and healing. The pilgrimage practices show how materiality is a privileged means of reaching out to a religious place. This materiality is grounded in the multilayered built environment, which has been built and rebuilt and especially reconstructed after the collapse of the socialist regime—a process that reveals the pivotal function of secular infrastructures in the case of religious places. Virtuality is also an important aspect of the pilgrimage, and so materiality and virtuality form a single milieu that reshapes perceptions. Through participation in this pilgrimage, virtuality is sacralized and promotes sanctity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Transformation of Pilgrimage Studies)

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13 pages, 294 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transformations in Islamic Pilgrimage Patterns and Meanings: Piety, Politics, Resistance, and Places of Memory in Islamic Pilgrimage Sites in Israel/Palestine

by Nimrod Luz

Religions 2023, 14(8), 1043; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14081043 - 14 Aug 2023

Viewed by 969

Abstract

This paper explores recent transformations in Islamic pilgrimage patterns in Israel/Palestine. The meanings assigned to traditional Muslim sites, and the conduct and practices of the dwindling number of pilgrims who visit them, are the struggling victims of strategic socio-political erasures caused by dramatic [...] Read more.

This paper explores recent transformations in Islamic pilgrimage patterns in Israel/Palestine. The meanings assigned to traditional Muslim sites, and the conduct and practices of the dwindling number of pilgrims who visit them, are the struggling victims of strategic socio-political erasures caused by dramatic geo-political changes. Since 1948, the hegemony of the State of Israel has perversely politicized sacred Islamic sites beyond their traditional religious functions. Muslim pilgrims, for their part, engage in rituals that have become a counterweight to Israeli ethnocratic imperatives. The reconstruction of an Islamic pilgrimage map presents a shared imaginative landscape as lieux de mémoire that undergird political and social resistance. The dogged survival of Islamic pilgrimage comprises a counterweight to state power. Muslims fight to affirm Palestinian identity, reclaim heritage spaces as anchors for identity, and actively engage with land claiming. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Transformation of Pilgrimage Studies)

14 pages, 261 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Historical Context of Boat Processions in Adriatic Maritime Pilgrimages

by Mario Katić and Trpimir Vedriš

Religions 2023, 14(7), 884; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14070884 - 08 Jul 2023

Viewed by 747

Abstract

In this article, we argue that the different ritual structures of maritime pilgrimages result from the different historical backgrounds of each site. We have focused on two maritime pilgrimage sites in the Adriatic Sea: Nin, in contemporary Croatia (Northern Dalmatia), and Perast, in [...] Read more.

In this article, we argue that the different ritual structures of maritime pilgrimages result from the different historical backgrounds of each site. We have focused on two maritime pilgrimage sites in the Adriatic Sea: Nin, in contemporary Croatia (Northern Dalmatia), and Perast, in contemporary Montenegro (Kotor Bay). We compared these two locations and maritime pilgrimage processions because they have similar historical backgrounds (both were under Venice’s significant influence), and comparable boat processions with similar structural elements. We concluded that multilayered customs, consisting of diverse popular traditions, were fused in these pilgrimages through ecclesiastical (para)liturgical processions. Based on material presented in this article, we concluded that the Nin and Perast elites drew on local traditions and developed maritime pilgrimage boat processions in order to draw out their political, religious, social, and economic potentials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Transformation of Pilgrimage Studies)

17 pages, 4488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Local Pasts and International Inspirations: The Heritagisation and Caminoisation of Pilgrimage Landscapes in Norway

by Hannah Kristine Lunde

Religions 2023, 14(7), 834; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14070834 - 25 Jun 2023

Viewed by 822

Abstract

Through the case of St Olav Ways, the aim of this article is to shed light on the ways in which the contemporary pilgrimage phenomenon in Norway is developed through a combination of interpretations of local religious history and inspiration from international pilgrimage [...] Read more.

Through the case of St Olav Ways, the aim of this article is to shed light on the ways in which the contemporary pilgrimage phenomenon in Norway is developed through a combination of interpretations of local religious history and inspiration from international pilgrimage developments, the Camino de Santiago in particular. Pilgrimage is increasingly becoming visible as a contemporary phenomenon in Norway, as in several other European countries where pilgrimage was long discredited as a religious practice. From the 1990s, pilgrimage routes leading to historical shrines have been developed, initiated by agents ranging from grassroot enthusiasts to governmental ministries. This is analysed as the heritagisation of religion and Caminoisation. In a broader perspective, this pertains to how interfaces between the spheres of religion, politics and cultural heritage management are central to the development of contemporary pilgrimage landscapes. A further aim of this article is to demonstrate the importance of taking administrative and political processes into account for pilgrimage studies. The study is based on ethnographic fieldwork and document analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Transformation of Pilgrimage Studies)

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13 pages, 5231 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Madonna of the Reef in Perast and the Fašinada Custom: Relational and Representational Perspectives on a Maritime Pilgrimage

by Mario Katić

Religions 2023, 14(4), 522; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14040522 - 11 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 853

Abstract

This article is about the Fašinada custom. The Fašinada refers to the transporting of stones by boat from the coast to a small island named Madonna of the Reef in Perast, Montenegro. This custom both commemorates the finding of a miraculous painting of [...] Read more.

This article is about the Fašinada custom. The Fašinada refers to the transporting of stones by boat from the coast to a small island named Madonna of the Reef in Perast, Montenegro. This custom both commemorates the finding of a miraculous painting of the Madonna on a reef in the sea, and it furthers the island’s construction by piling stones on that reef. I consider issues of both representation and relationality linked to this site. These two aspects constantly intermingle, and one cannot be understood without the other. In the first part of the article, I draw more on a political economy perspective on human intentionality and consider the material results of social relations. I describe and explain the complex background to the Madonna of the Reef pilgrimage, the different practices linked to this island and her saint, the transformations that Perast in general and maritime pilgrimages in particular have undergone over time, and then, I describe the multivocality of the contemporary Perast community. In the second half of this article, I consider relational and dwelling perspectives on the co-option and construction of the Madonna of the Reef, and how nature has affected social relations. In doing so, I consider “nonhuman agency” as one of the main reasons why the custom of the Fašinada has transcended its religious context and become a space for interreligious encounters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Transformation of Pilgrimage Studies)

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