Celebrations marking the arrival of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower go without ceremony

Republican senator Tom Cotton has blasted the New York Times’ 1619 project for trying to rewrite history following a lack of events to mark the Mayflower’s 400th anniversary. After a speech to the Senate on Wednesday where he attacked the project, he penned an essay published by Fox News Saturday.  Cotton wrote: ‘Regrettably, we haven’t heard much about … Read more

Die-hard Jewish pilgrims refuse to leave Ukraine’s border with Belarus

Die-hard Jewish pilgrims have refused to leave Ukraine’s border with Belarus after more than 1,000 give up hope and turn back due to coronavirus restrictions.   Orthodox-Jewish believers, including hundreds of children, have camped out throughout the week in no-man’s land at the border crossing ahead of Jewish New Year celebrations this weekend. Tens of thousands … Read more

Muslim pilgrims observe social distancing rules on the final day of the hajj pilgrimage

Muslim pilgrims circled Islam’s holiest site along socially distanced paths Sunday in the final ritual of the hajj, the smallest in modern history as Saudi authorities sought to prevent a coronavirus outbreak. Only up to 10,000 Muslims took part in the hajj, a far cry from the 2.5 million who took part in the five-day … Read more

Saudi Arabia sets 1,000-person limit on Hajj pilgrims – down from 2.5million in a normal year

Saudi Arabia sets 1,000-person limit on Hajj pilgrims – down from 2.5million in a normal year – and bans foreigners from Mecca as country battles coronavirus The Hajj pilgrimage is the largest gathering of Muslims in the world   It lasts for five or six days as pilgrims travel to the ‘House of Allah’ in Mecca … Read more

Following in the footsteps of St Francis and joining pilgrims on a trek to Rome

Those in search of a walking holiday, or seeking a pilgrimage abroad, should look no further than The Way of St Francis – Italy’s answer to Spain’s famous but often crowded spiritual path, Camino de Santiago. The full length of this 340-mile trek, called Via Francigena di San Francesco in Italian, stretches from Florence to … Read more

Discovering Leiden, 400 years after the Mayflower Pilgrims left it for America

A reflective glory: It’s 400 years since the Mayflower Pilgrims set off for America from the charming Dutch city of Leiden – and it’s never looked better (think Amsterdam without the queues) A Dutch group set off from Leiden in north-west Holland for America in 1620 To absorb their world, follow a trail that takes … Read more

Saudi Arabia temporarily BANS religious pilgrims from visiting Mecca to prevent the coronavirus

Saudi Arabia finally BANS religious pilgrims from visiting Mecca or Medina to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the Kingdom Statement issued this evening by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom  Will be supporting other countries and will abide by ‘international standards’  Temporarily suspended entry into the Kingdom for the purpose of Umrah  … Read more