The pilgrim goes to the festival: changes in daily life caused by the pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of the Abadia in Romaria, Brazil.

Abstract

This chapter explores the everyday socio-spatial changes motivated and mediated by pilgrimage to religious festivals, using as an example the festival in honour of Our Lady of the Abadia (Our Lady of the Abbey), held annually in the city of Romaria, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is indicated that the act of pilgrimage alters not only the routine of the residents of the destinations where they are held, but also those who participate in the event as tourists, vow-fulfillers, merchants, etc.; and a multiplicity of subjects, concerns and practices cause the pilgrimage to aggregate the sacred and the profane.