Continuity, Transformation, Disappearance, or Renewal of the Pilgrimage Tradition in the Czech Republic from the Perspective of Ethnology

Abstract

The study deals with the phenomenon of pilgrimages after the year 1989. Except for the traditional pilgrimage festivities associated with the confession of faith, such as in Žarošice in South Moravia, where a pilgrimage ritual with many Baroque relicts is still practised on the so-called Golden Saturday, we can notice the disappearance of pilgrimages. At the same time, the traditional form of pilgrimages is transformed, and we can observe innovative trends after 1989. Pilgrimage tourism is developing significantly, professional and association pilgrimages (e.g. these of firefighters, gamekeepers, beekeepers, and teachers) are being organised, and cycling pilgrimages are becoming popular among all age groups. In contrast to Western Europe, the phenomenon of longdistance pilgrimages, not only to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, but also to Mariazell, Roma, Assisi, and the Holy Land, has arrived in the Czech Republic with a certain delay. After the year 2000, pilgrim routes have been replicated and trucked, modern pilgrim routes are being built. Last but not least, we try to answer the question of what role a pilgrimage site, a pilgrimage or a pilgrimage tradition plays in the Czech society of the twenty-first century.