A modern person who decides to touch the shrines no longer has to endure the hardships that often fell to the lot of his predecessors. As Gazeta.Ru writes, the artificial suppression of all manifestations of religious feelings, which took place in our country until quite recently, has now ceased. And today people seem to be in a hurry to make up for lost time.
In response to the surge of interest in pilgrimage, a corresponding offer has appeared on the tourist market - pilgrimage tours. Modern pilgrims and adherents of the Hajj do not necessarily travel on foot; they have at their disposal all means of transportation - airplanes, trains, ships. There are, of course, extremists who get to holy places by hitchhiking and have only a visa in their pocket and enough money to buy one candle. But about them another time.
Pilgrimage tours are organized both by firms specializing in different types of tourism and by so-called mono-operators. The functions of travel companies are also performed by temple pilgrimage services.
Pilgrimage tourism can be classified in accordance with the most widespread world religions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. (The latter two directions are presented very weakly on our tourist market.) Pilgrimage tours are also divided by geographical feature: Ukraine, the near abroad and the far abroad.
For example, pilgrimage tours to the Orthodox shrines of Russia are designed for no more than a week. Pilgrims are accommodated in monasteries, and the level of comfort provided is minimal. Trips are organized to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Joseph-Volotsky Monastery, David's Hermitage, Optina Hermitage, Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery, Nilova Hermitage on Lake Seliger, Pskov-Pechorsky Monastery, and the Solovetsky Islands.
It is not particularly difficult to go on a pilgrimage tour to the far abroad - today the market offers an abundance of all kinds of destinations. Demand is also gaining momentum. Orthodox compatriots are not deterred by armed conflicts near the Holy Land or by relatively high tour prices. Pilgrimage to the shrines of Greece, Israel, Cyprus, Italy, Turkey, and Egypt takes place all year round. There are also combined tours: Greece - Italy, Syria - Lebanon, Cyprus - Israel - Egypt, etc. You can also make a pilgrimage on board a pilgrimage ship calling at Mediterranean ports located near the greatest Christian shrines - Larnaca, Haifa, Port Said, Bari, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Naples.
For host countries, pilgrims are the favorite category of tourists: they behave quietly, do not throw their weight around, do not get into any stories. They bring currency into the country and take away candles, holy earth and water. Excesses occur only at the airport, when it turns out that the weight of the luggage of a pilgrim who has stocked up with holy water significantly exceeds the established limits. Often after a flight with a pilgrimage group departs, dozens of bottles of water remain at the airport.
In terms of cost, vouchers for foreign pilgrimage tours practically do not differ from ordinary tourist tours - prices range from $150 to $1,000 and depend on the hotel class. For example, the cost of an eight-to-nine-day trip to Cyprus is from $480, to Israel - about $800. Going from Israel to the holy Mount Sinai in Egypt will require about $200 more. The cost of a 10-day tour to Italy is $760, to Turkey - $600. Ship trips to the shrines of Israel, Egypt and Cyprus cost approximately $600.
The conditions, as well as the prices, are quite similar among most operators (two-three-star hotels, breakfast or half board). Depending on the desire, as well as the capabilities of the tour organizers, pilgrims can stay not only in hotels, but also in monasteries. Getting the blessing of the monastery's authorities for this is, of course, easier for a temple pilgrimage service. Unlike in our country, cells in foreign Orthodox monasteries intended for pilgrims are usually large comfortable hotel rooms with good furniture and windows overlooking the sea. And relatively inexpensive. For example, accommodation in the Gorny Monastery in Israel costs a pilgrim $37 per day. The attitude on the part of the monastery's novices is usually very friendly and completely unobtrusive.
Whatever comforts are created for modern pilgrims, pilgrimage is, first of all, labor. For example, most of the very tiring path from the foot of the Sinai mountains to the top of the Holy Mountain Horeb can be ridden on a camel, which the Bedouins provide for a small fee. But only ordinary tourists use this opportunity. Pilgrims believe that one does not enter the sacred mountain on a camel, just as one does not enter the kingdom of heaven. And for several hours they courageously climb up, and then go down along the monastic path, which is even harder to descend than to ascend.
The best time of year for pilgrimage tours is autumn. In October, the average monthly air temperature on the Mediterranean coast is 27.5, the sea water temperature is 21.1.
But holiday dates also matter. Many pilgrims seek to get to Israel for the holiday of Easter for the Descent of the Holy Fire, which happens once a year in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, or to celebrate Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem, or to immerse themselves in the waters of the sacred Jordan River on Epiphany night. Thousands of people from all over the world come to pray in the churches of the Holy Mount Athos - the Lot of the Mother of God - on the day of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. And the pilgrimage to the relics of St. Nicholas in Bari, Italy, is usually timed to St. Nicholas of Winter (December 19) and St. Nicholas of Summer (May 22).
Pilgrimages to Muslim holy sites (hajj) in Mecca and Medina involve a number of objective difficulties: Saudi Arabia is closed to tourists, and the authorities impose a strict quota on the number of pilgrims from each country. The range of options is therefore quite limited.
In pilgrimage to holy sites, all pilgrims are equal before one another and before God. They undertake these journeys to connect with the eternity of sacred history, to strengthen their faith, and to resolve matters of personal importance. Many who have returned say their prayers were answered.