Comparative analysis of traditional and modern pilgrimage practices in the mountains or hills in Bulgaria and Lithuania

Abstract

The paper examines the traditional and contemporary Roman Catholic pilgrimage practices and folk piety rituals in Lithuania and Bulgaria. It focuses on three cases of pilgrimage: Žemaičių Kalvarija (Samogitian Calvary), the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania, and the Way of the Cross on Vitosha Mountains in Bulgaria.
Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork collected by the author in 2010– 2025 in Bulgaria and Lithuania, as well as the research analyses of previous scholars, the article investigates the interplay between sacred spaces, pilgrimage, and the ritual practices of folk piety. The main issue of the article is to reveal pilgrims’ motivations for performing religious practices and the significance of pilgrimage in their lives. The empirical data were collected applying ethnographic research methodology and comparative analysis. The results of this study reveal that participation in pilgrimage practices helps Christians strengthen social ties, a sense of communitas, religious identity, spiritual resilience and well-being.