Heritage Series, Article 1: Pilgrimage is as relevant today as it ever was

Why did people go on pilgrimages in the past? Were they purely religious journeys? Is pilgrimage a thing of the past or is it still relevant today?
Traditionally, pilgrimage implied a spiritual experience, an act of worship or veneration to give thanks or to pay penance. It involved a journey to see someone or something that had special meaning to a person. If you look closely at the pilgrims of our past, the journeys they went on, and their reasons for travelling, you will find that the traditional view of pilgrimage is not worlds apart from modern life and the different forms of ‘pilgrimage’ we go on today.