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5 pages, 335 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances in the Ecosystem of Religious Tourism

by Kiran Shinde

Religions 2021, 12(7), 523; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12070523 - 12 Jul 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4757

Abstract

It is now widely accepted that religious tourism encapsulates the essence of contemporary patterns of travel to sacred and religious sites [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances: New Perspective for Religious Tourism Development)

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Research

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21 pages, 5188 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Buddhist Pilgrimage and the Ritual Ecology of Sacred Sites in the Indo-Gangetic Region

by David Geary and Kiran Shinde

Religions 2021, 12(6), 385; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12060385 - 26 May 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 11504

Abstract

In contemporary India and Nepal, Buddhist pilgrimage spaces constitute a ritual ecology. Not only is pilgrimage a form of ritual practice that is central to placemaking and the construction of a Buddhist sacred geography, but the actions of religious adherents at sacred centers [...] Read more.

In contemporary India and Nepal, Buddhist pilgrimage spaces constitute a ritual ecology. Not only is pilgrimage a form of ritual practice that is central to placemaking and the construction of a Buddhist sacred geography, but the actions of religious adherents at sacred centers also involve a rich and diverse set of ritual observances and performances. Drawing on ethnographic research, this paper examines how the material and corporeal aspects of Buddhist ritual contribute to the distinctive religious sense of place that reinforce the memory of the Buddha’s life and the historical ties to the Indian subcontinent. It is found that at most Buddhist sites, pilgrim groups mostly travel with their own monks, nuns, and guides from their respective countries who facilitate devotion and reside in the monasteries and guest houses affiliated with their national community. Despite the differences across national, cultural–linguistic, and sectarian lines, the ritual practices associated with pilgrimage speak to certain patterns of religious motivation and behavior that contribute to a sense of shared identity that plays an important role in how Buddhists imagine themselves as part of a translocal religion in a globalizing age. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances: New Perspective for Religious Tourism Development)

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14 pages, 293 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Contested Authenticity Anthropological Perspectives of Pilgrimage Tourism on Mount Athos

by Michelangelo Paganopoulos

Religions 2021, 12(4), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12040229 - 25 Mar 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3199

Abstract

This paper investigates the evolution of customer service in the pilgrimage tourist industry, focusing on Mount Athos. In doing so, it empirically deconstructs the dialectics of the synthesis of “authentic experience” between “pilgrims” and “tourists” via a set of internal and external reciprocal [...] Read more.

This paper investigates the evolution of customer service in the pilgrimage tourist industry, focusing on Mount Athos. In doing so, it empirically deconstructs the dialectics of the synthesis of “authentic experience” between “pilgrims” and “tourists” via a set of internal and external reciprocal exchanges that take place between monks and visitors in two rival neighboring monasteries. The paper shows how the traditional value of hospitality is being reinvented and reappropriated according to the personalized needs of the market of faith. In this context, the paper shows how traditional monastic roles, such as those of the guest-master and the sacristan, have been reinvented, along with traditional practices such as that of confession, within the wider turn to relational subjectivity and interest in spirituality. Following this, the material illustrates how counter claims to “authenticity” emerge as an arena of reinvention and contestation out of the competition between rival groups of monks and their followers, arguing that pilgrimage on Athos requires from visitors their full commitment and active involvement in their role as “pilgrims”. The claim to “authenticity” is a matter of identity and the means through which a visitor is transformed from a passive “tourist” to an active “pilgrim”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances: New Perspective for Religious Tourism Development)

23 pages, 4524 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transnational Religious Tourism in Modern China and the Transformation of the Cult of Mazu

by Yanchao Zhang

Religions 2021, 12(3), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12030221 - 23 Mar 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4912

Abstract

This article explores transformations in the worship of popular goddess Mazu as a result of (religious) tourism. In particular, it focuses on the role of transnational tourism in the invention of tradition, folklorization, and commodification of the Mazu cult. Support from the central [...] Read more.

This article explores transformations in the worship of popular goddess Mazu as a result of (religious) tourism. In particular, it focuses on the role of transnational tourism in the invention of tradition, folklorization, and commodification of the Mazu cult. Support from the central and local governments and the impact of economic globalization have transformed a traditional pilgrimage site that initially had a local and then national scope into a transnational tourist attraction. More specifically, the ancestral temple of Mazu at Meizhou Island, which was established as the uncontested origin of Mazu’s cult during the Song dynasty (960 to 1276), has been reconfigured architecturally and liturgically to function as both a sacred site and a tourist attraction. This reconfiguration has involved the reconstruction of traditional rituals and religious performances for religious tourism to promote the temple as the unadulterated expression of an intangible cultural heritage. The strategic combination of traditional rituals such as “dividing incense” and an innovative ceremony enjoining all devotees of “Mazu all over the world [to] return to mother’s home” to worship her have not only consolidated the goddess as a symbol of common cultural identity in mainland China, but also for the preservation of Chinese identity in diaspora. Indeed, Chinese migrants and their descendants are among the increasing numbers of pilgrims/tourists who come to Mazu’s ancestral temple seeking to reconnect with their heritage by partaking in authentic traditions. This article examines the spatial and ritual transformations that have re-signified this temple, and by extension, the cult of Mazu, as well as the media through which these transformations have spread transnationally. We will see that (transnational) religious tourism is a key medium. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances: New Perspective for Religious Tourism Development)

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14 pages, 1286 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Religious Tourism’s Impact on City Space: Service Zones around Sanctuaries

by Izabela Sołjan and Justyna Liro

Religions 2021, 12(3), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12030165 - 4 Mar 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3976

Abstract

Pilgrimage centers are important elements of the spatial structure of cities and simultaneously factors influencing their transformations. The pilgrimage function of sanctuaries can lead to development of service zones around them focused mainly on serving visitors, i.e., pilgrims and tourists. They often perform [...] Read more.

Pilgrimage centers are important elements of the spatial structure of cities and simultaneously factors influencing their transformations. The pilgrimage function of sanctuaries can lead to development of service zones around them focused mainly on serving visitors, i.e., pilgrims and tourists. They often perform functions complementary to sanctuaries. Here we present the results of studies of sanctuary service zones conducted at twenty six popular Catholic sanctuaries in Europe. In this paper, we discussed the influence of the sanctuary on city space on the macro, meso and micro scales. We proposed a definition of a sanctuary service zone, and developed a model approach to the different types: initial (slightly developed) zones, dispersed zones (integrated into the urban space, with their pilgrimage function coexisting with other urban functions), and compact zones—linear, or pilgrimage districts (with dominating pilgrimage function). The development of sanctuary service zones depends mainly on the rank of the pilgrimage center, as well as on the period in which it was founded, pilgrimage traditions, and the location of the pilgrimage center in the city. This paper is a continuation and extension of research into the impact of pilgrimage centers on city space transformations in the context of socio-cultural changes in the 20th and 21st centuries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances: New Perspective for Religious Tourism Development)

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17 pages, 3332 KiB

Open AccessArticle

‘Biker Revs’ on Pilgrimage: Motorbiking Vicars Visiting Sacred Sites

by Ruth Dowson

Religions 2021, 12(3), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12030148 - 25 Feb 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2268

Abstract

In April 2014, a new Church of England diocese was instituted, combining three smaller dioceses covering a large area of Yorkshire. To mark the development of this new ‘mega-diocese’, a group of motorcycling vicars began to meet regularly and undertake ‘rides out’ across [...] Read more.

In April 2014, a new Church of England diocese was instituted, combining three smaller dioceses covering a large area of Yorkshire. To mark the development of this new ‘mega-diocese’, a group of motorcycling vicars began to meet regularly and undertake ‘rides out’ across the diocese and further afield. This paper explores research undertaken with these motorbiking priests and their companions. The study followed an ethnographic approach, as the researcher is an ordained clergyperson embedded within the ‘Biker Revs’ community, though not a biker. The research comprised semi-structured interviews and informal conversations with the Biker Revs over several years. This research investigates the Biker Revs’ experiences and motivations for undertaking pilgrimages together, by motorbike. On these performative journeys, the Biker Revs initially visited sacred sites across the United Kingdom. As a basis for comparison, this paper utilizes Michalowski and Dubisch’s 2001 iconic ethnographic research on an American motorcycle pilgrimage, to analyze the group’s activities. The ordained bikers identified the group as a safe space for clergy, outside their parishes, whilst their spouses recognized the benefits of spending time with ‘others like me who understand the pressures of clergy life’. For some participants these pilgrimages provide a religious retreat, as together, they explore sacred landscapes and learn the stories of their holy destinations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances: New Perspective for Religious Tourism Development)

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20 pages, 2112 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Constructing and Contesting the Shrine: Tourist Performances at Seimei Shrine, Kyoto

by Mia Tillonen

Religions 2021, 12(1), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12010019 - 28 Dec 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5209

Abstract

Japanese Shinto shrines are popular pilgrimage sites not only for religious reasons, but also because of their connections to popular culture. This study discusses how tourism is involved in the construction of the shrine space by focusing on the material environment of the [...] Read more.

Japanese Shinto shrines are popular pilgrimage sites not only for religious reasons, but also because of their connections to popular culture. This study discusses how tourism is involved in the construction of the shrine space by focusing on the material environment of the shrine, visitor performances, and how the shrine is contested by different actors. The subject of the study, Seimei Shrine, is a shrine dedicated to the legendary figure Abe no Seimei (921–1005), who is frequently featured in popular culture. Originally a local shrine, Seimei Shrine became a tourist attraction for fans of the novel series Onmyōji (1986–) and the movie adaptation (2001). Since then, the shrine has branded itself by placing themed statues, which realize the legend of Abe no Seimei in material form, while also attracting religious and touristic practices. On the other hand, visitors also bring new meanings to the shrine and its objects. They understand the shrine through different kinds of interactions with the objects, through performances such as touching and remembering. However, the material objects, their interpretation and performances are also an arena of conflict and contestation, as different actors become involved through tourism. This case study shows how religion and tourism are intertwined in the late-modern consumer society, which affects both the ways in which the shrine presents and reinvents itself, as well as how visitors understand and perform within the shrine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances: New Perspective for Religious Tourism Development)

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21 pages, 2308 KiB

Open AccessArticle

World Youth Day 2016 in the Archdiocese of Lodz: An Example of the Eventization of Faith

by Joanna Bik and Andrzej Stasiak

Religions 2020, 11(10), 503; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11100503 - 1 Oct 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2823

Abstract

The organization of numerous religious mass events of international, or even global, reach is a phenomenon of the early 21st century. It is sometimes termed “eventization of faith”. This article presents a multifaceted analysis of the initial stage of the World Youth Day [...] Read more.

The organization of numerous religious mass events of international, or even global, reach is a phenomenon of the early 21st century. It is sometimes termed “eventization of faith”. This article presents a multifaceted analysis of the initial stage of the World Youth Day in 2016, which took place in the Archdiocese of Łódź (Poland). While multiple scholarly publications have been written about World Youth Day (WYD) itself, its first part of preparatory nature, the so-called “Days in Dioceses”, has not been studied yet. The authors of this paper used a wide array of research methods, such as participant observation, questionnaire (official statistics concerning 10,000 pilgrims), pilot survey (258 respondents), and analysis of media reports (over 100 films and 30 articles). The analysis of the organizational method of such a major religious event leads to a conclusion that it is a complex logistic undertaking, which requires professional preparation and implementation by a team of specialists in different fields as well as an army of deeply involved volunteers and public services employees. Over 10.2 thousand young pilgrims (mostly at the age of 15–29) participated in the youth meeting in the Archdiocese of Łódź; apart from spiritual motives (strengthening faith, meeting Pope Francis, following in the footsteps of St. John Paul II) they exhibited strong social (willingness to be in the community of believers, making new friends), recreational and tourist (visiting Poland) needs as well. In view of the hermetic and low-budget character of World Youth Day, its impact on the economy of the region was deemed negligible. Above all, the event played a promotional and image-building part, which perhaps in the years to come will result in an increase in visits of foreign tourists to Łódź. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances: New Perspective for Religious Tourism Development)

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12 pages, 431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Religious Festival Marketing: Distinguishing between Devout Believers and Tourists

by Kuo-Yan Wang, Azilah Kasim and Jing Yu

Religions 2020, 11(8), 413; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11080413 - 12 Aug 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5240

Abstract

Customer classification is an integral part of marketing planning activities. Researchers have struggled to classify “pilgrims” and “tourists” because these groups overlap to a large extent in terms of their identities while participating in religious activities/sightseeing. To achieve sustainable tourism development for the [...] Read more.

Customer classification is an integral part of marketing planning activities. Researchers have struggled to classify “pilgrims” and “tourists” because these groups overlap to a large extent in terms of their identities while participating in religious activities/sightseeing. To achieve sustainable tourism development for the region with rich religious and cultural characteristics, the present article outlines a process for analyzing the motivation of participants attending religious festival of Mazu in Taiwan and then classifies religious festival participants according to their motivations. Using cluster sampling, a total of 280 responses were obtained and analyzed. The results revealed four different motivation categories: Fun traveler, devout believer, cultural enthusiast, and religious pragmatist. The study concludes that while festivalgoers are influenced by secularization to some extent, the original doctrine of the religion epitomized in the festivals fundamentally retains the essence and spirit of its religious rituals. The findings may have a significant value for the development of religious tourism marketing as it offers a foundation for future research seeking to develop regional cultural and religious sightseeing attractions sustainably. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances: New Perspective for Religious Tourism Development)

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