PILGRIMS OF FAITH
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| PILGRIMS OF FAITH |
| A single dip in the icy waters at the source of the Ganges River can wash away a lifetime of sins. A drink from the springs at Lourdes can heal the sick. A solitary prayer in Mecca is worth a thousand elsewhere. And so it goes the world over, ordinary people with extraordinary faith exploring the roots of their spiritual being. Through the ages people have been drawn to the mystical nature of life and what lies beyond. The ultimate test of faith across all the major religions has been the pilgrimage, an arduous journey to a distant, holy place in search of redemption through trial and hardship. They are marathons of the faithful, rituals of endurance and humility that not only improve the odds of an eternal afterlife, but also make life on earth complete. They are the single, most important event in the lives of tens of millions of people. Pilgrims comes in all shapes, sizes, and means. They are old, young, rich, poor, Muslim, Christian, Hindu. And there are a lot of them. These floods of believers create the largest gatherings of humans on earth—and an economic, spiritual and cultural force of massive proportions. Their numbers swell each year, as does the industry that has grown up to support them. I am in the process of documenting this powerful global ritual, one that can send rural villagers who may have never ventured more than a day’s walk from their homes on epic journeys of thousands of miles. These vibrant spectacles are as diverse as they are colorful—Christians paying by the hour to drag crosses through the streets of old Jerusalem during the Easter celebration, Hindu pilgrims in the millions at the Kumbha Mela Festival in India, Mormons traveling cross-country by covered wagons to relive the journey of their forefathers, the sick and dying arriving by the millions in search of a miracle in Lourdes and Fatima. In Mecca, Haiti, Tibet and Peru, the dramas recur yearly. In pictures, it is one of the greatest stories ever told, the grandest expression of the search for salvation and bliss. In a world of lost souls, it is an epic to be continued... |