Like nearly every holiday or commemorative event in 2020, celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the historic Mayflower voyage were canceled or postponed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The nation this month was set to mark the anniversary of arguably one of the most important dates in American history, the day the first … Read more
Worshippers have returned to Mecca after Saudi authorities partially resumed the year-round umrah pilgrimage after seven-month coronavirus hiatus. Millions of Muslims from around the world usually descend on Saudi Arabia for the umrah and haj Islamic pilgrimages. The two share common rites, but the haj, held once a year, is the main lengthier ritual that is … Read more
Die-hard Jewish pilgrims have refused to leave Ukraine’s border with Belarus after more than 1,000 give up hope and turn back due to coronavirus restrictions. Orthodox-Jewish believers, including hundreds of children, have camped out throughout the week in no-man’s land at the border crossing ahead of Jewish New Year celebrations this weekend. Tens of thousands … Read more
Muslim pilgrims circled Islam’s holiest site along socially distanced paths Sunday in the final ritual of the hajj, the smallest in modern history as Saudi authorities sought to prevent a coronavirus outbreak. Only up to 10,000 Muslims took part in the hajj, a far cry from the 2.5 million who took part in the five-day … Read more
Saudi Arabia sets 1,000-person limit on Hajj pilgrims – down from 2.5million in a normal year – and bans foreigners from Mecca as country battles coronavirus The Hajj pilgrimage is the largest gathering of Muslims in the world It lasts for five or six days as pilgrims travel to the ‘House of Allah’ in Mecca … Read more
Those in search of a walking holiday, or seeking a pilgrimage abroad, should look no further than The Way of St Francis – Italy’s answer to Spain’s famous but often crowded spiritual path, Camino de Santiago. The full length of this 340-mile trek, called Via Francigena di San Francesco in Italian, stretches from Florence to … Read more
A reflective glory: It’s 400 years since the Mayflower Pilgrims set off for America from the charming Dutch city of Leiden – and it’s never looked better (think Amsterdam without the queues) A Dutch group set off from Leiden in north-west Holland for America in 1620 To absorb their world, follow a trail that takes … Read more
Saudi Arabia finally BANS religious pilgrims from visiting Mecca or Medina to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the Kingdom Statement issued this evening by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom Will be supporting other countries and will abide by ‘international standards’ Temporarily suspended entry into the Kingdom for the purpose of Umrah … Read more