Religion Video: Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage Emotions

I asked the students to think about emotions that pilgrims might feel while taking their sacred journey. Here are some of their insightful responses:

Charlie: A pilgrim might feel anxious because he's in such a sacred place and he doesn't want to mess up or do something the wrong way.

Chaney: During the hajj, it might be hard to feel calm and centered, with so many people around.

Ginny: Taking a pilgrimage might make a person feel proud about their religion.

Pilgrimage Rituals

One of the key vocabulary words of this year's class is ritual.

The students have learned that a ritual is a religious ceremony or series of actions that is always performed in the same way. Every religion includes rituals, and the rituals help people to worship and understand their god(s).

As they research the pilgrimages to Mecca, Jerusalem, and the Ganges River, the students are learning about some of the fascinating rituals involved:

Carson: At the Western Wall, some Jews read and recite the entire Book of Psalms (one of the sacred texts of Judaism).

Emily: Hindus make small creations from flowers and candles, which they float down the Ganges River.

Kate C.: Some Hindu pilgrims wear special prayer shawls that have sacred texts printed on them.

Carter K.: When Jews visit Jerusalem during the holiday of Sukkot, they sometimes build a sukkah -- a temporary home that is based on a tent and helps them remember the temporary structures used by ancient Jews during the Exodus.

Pilgrimage Project

As we begin a new year, the students are researching pilgrimages. 

Each student is choosing a sacred journey that seems particularly interesting -- either the Hindu pilgrimage to the Ganges River, the Jewish pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. 

Students are exploring the reasons that these places are considered so holy, and they are learning about the rituals that are followed in each place.

Here are some of the students' initial discoveries:

Cort and Jayden: Only Muslims are allowed to visit the city of Mecca. Very few people actually go inside of the Kabah.

Grace E. and Palmer: Hindus believe that the Ganges River begins from the foot of the god Vishnu and comes down to the earth through the hair of the god Shiva.

Phoebe: Jews didn't believe that the whole temple was equally holy. There were certain parts that were more holy. [Kate C. had a related point: Sometimes in holy places, particular parts are more holy than others.]

Miller: The Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was smashed twice, and was never rebuilt again. [Axel pointed out that some Jews believe the Temple will be rebuilt eventually, but not until the messiah comes.]

Dante: Ishmael and Hager are believed to be buried underneath the Kabah.

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The students diligently took notes during today's class, focusing on information that will be particularly relevant to the paragraphs I've asked them to write. 

Porter did a great job of locating details that will help him to construct interesting and informative paragraphs.