Pilgrims' way and Pilgrimage

Pilgrims
The word “pilgrim” or “pilgrims” derives from the Middle English word “pilegrim”, which in turn dates back to the classical Latin term “peregrinus”, meaning “travelling” or “coming from abroad”. Originally, therefore, a pilgrim was simply somebody who left or had to leave their ancestral home. At first, pilgrims did not have any rights, but later they were entitled to protection and hospitality. The term did not come to refer exclusively to those travelling to holy sites until the Middle Ages. Its definition became even more specific when it was eventually used exclusively to describe those taking the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. Nowadays we understand “pilgrim” as a general term to describe somebody taking a religiously motivated journey to a place of particular sacred significance. The need to set out on a pilgrimage seems to remain an anthropological or religious constant, with a significance transcending all cultural boundaries, eras and religions.

Pilgrims’ ways and places of pilgrimage
A pilgrim’s way is a route taken by those on a pilgrimage to a holy site. Every major religion across the world has pilgrims’ ways and places of pilgrimage. These places could be towns or cities such as Jerusalem, Mecca, Rome, Santiago de Compostela, Lourdes and Einsiedeln or also certain points in a landscape such as a mountain, spring, fountain, cave or shrine. There are points along the way where the pilgrims can stop to pray or hold worship services.
In Christianity, making pilgrimages has been a part of religious life from the beginning, even though the religion has never actually required its followers to do so. Even the very first Christians sought out the sites of Jesus’ work. There were three main Christian places of pilgrimage during the Middle Ages: Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela. The major places of pilgrimage were established at the (supposed) graves of important apostles.
Today’s most famous Christian pilgrims’ way is the Way of St. James, which guides pilgrims along several main routes – one of which also goes through Switzerland – to Santiago de Compostela in western Spain. The “Via Francigena” (the Way of St. Francis), another ancient pilgrims’ way, begins in the English city of Canterbury, cuts across France and Switzerland and finishes in Rome. Individual sections of the route through Switzerland serve as both the Way of St. James and a pilgrims’ way to another holy site. Combined with the various side roads, these main routes form a network of pilgrims’ ways that runs right through Europe. A pilgrims’ way is usually covered on foot in several stages, which often follow a series of monasteries; there are a number of cheap inns along the way where the pilgrims can spend the night.
Important Islamic pilgrims’ ways lead to Medina and Mecca. According to the Quran, Muslims have a duty to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives. In the Jewish faith, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the most significant religious site. Of the two holy temples built there, only the Western Wall – also known as the Wailing Wall – remains today.

Pilgrimage
In everyday use, the word “pilgrimage” is understood to mean much the same as “pilgrims’ way”. Its German cousin, “Wallfahrt”, derives from the Old High German verb “wallen”, meaning “to go on a journey abroad”, especially for religious reasons. One important different between a pilgrimage and a pilgrims’ way nowadays is that, on a pilgrimage, the destination is the most important aspect, whereas a pilgrims’ way is more focussed on the journey itself.