Pilgrimage facts for kids

A pilgrimage is when people travel to a place of worship that is usually far away. They may have to go to a different city or country. Usually a pilgrimage is done for spiritual or religious reasons. Muslims have to do a pilgrimage to Mecca. This is called Hajj. Other modern-day pilgrimages include the Way of St. James, and the pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.

There are also non-religious pilgrimages; they include for example:

seeing the Mausoleum of Vladimir Lenin on the Red Square in Moscow, or
visiting the birthplace of Elvis Presley.

Pilgrims on St. James way to Santiago de Compostela
Pilgrims credential; all stamps are needed to get a pilgrims certificate.
A pilgrim at the Masjid al Haram Mosque, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Sikh pilgrims on a bus to Manikaran

Related pages

Mecca

Images for kids

David Teniers the younger: Female Pilgrim

Ancient excavated Buddha-image at the Mahaparinirvana Temple, Kushinagar
Tibetans on a pilgrimage to Lhasa, doing full-body prostrations, often for the entire length of the journey
Pilgrims of Compostela.
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima is one of the largest pilgrimage sites (Marian shrine) in the world.
Bathing ghat on the Ganges during Kumbh Mela, Haridwar
Pilgrimage to Kedarnath
Pilgrims on their way to Manikaran, Himachal Pradesh, India, in 2004
Muslim pilgrims circumambulate around the Ka’aba during the Hajj
Jews at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem during the Ottoman period, 1860
The Harmandir Sahib (the Golden Temple) in Amritsar