Reinventions of an Old Tradition: Orthodox Processions and Pilgrimage in Contemporary Finland
Abstract This article examines two cases of Finnish Orthodox traditions of procession and pilgrimage that are currently being reframed in response to physical, political, and religious disruption. Annual Orthodox processions are now held in Northern Karelia close to and across the Finnish-Russian bo...
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crbrillap:10.1163/15685276-12341602 2024-05-19T07:43:19+00:00 Reinventions of an Old Tradition: Orthodox Processions and Pilgrimage in Contemporary Finland Vuola, Elina 2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15685276-12341602 https://brill.com/view/journals/nu/67/5-6/article-p557_6.xml https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/nu/67/5-6/article-p557_6.xml unknown Brill Numen volume 67, issue 5-6, page 557-585 ISSN 0029-5973 1568-5276 journal-article 2020 crbrillap https://doi.org/10.1163/15685276-12341602 2024-05-02T06:50:25Z Abstract This article examines two cases of Finnish Orthodox traditions of procession and pilgrimage that are currently being reframed in response to physical, political, and religious disruption. Annual Orthodox processions are now held in Northern Karelia close to and across the Finnish-Russian border, while the pilgrimage of St. Tryphon of Pechenga, the patron saint of the Skolt Saami in northeastern Finland, crosses the border between Finland and Norway to visit their lost home area, as an act of remembrance and recognition of the history of the Skolt Saami. Here I argue that, contrary to some trends within pilgrimage studies to blur tourism and pilgrimage, these journeys are primarily religious, understood only with an appreciation of Orthodox theology and worldview. Each case demonstrates both continuity and change in Orthodox pilgrimage praxis and its theological underpinnings. It highlights the pragmatism of the priests and congregations involved in adapting traditional forms to complex new contexts involving the loss of tangible and intangible heritage. The analysis shows that both events include the active agency of both the institution and local participants and a significant amount of invention in relation to new contexts of loss. Article in Journal/Newspaper karelia* saami Brill Numen 67 5-6 557 585 |
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Abstract This article examines two cases of Finnish Orthodox traditions of procession and pilgrimage that are currently being reframed in response to physical, political, and religious disruption. Annual Orthodox processions are now held in Northern Karelia close to and across the Finnish-Russian border, while the pilgrimage of St. Tryphon of Pechenga, the patron saint of the Skolt Saami in northeastern Finland, crosses the border between Finland and Norway to visit their lost home area, as an act of remembrance and recognition of the history of the Skolt Saami. Here I argue that, contrary to some trends within pilgrimage studies to blur tourism and pilgrimage, these journeys are primarily religious, understood only with an appreciation of Orthodox theology and worldview. Each case demonstrates both continuity and change in Orthodox pilgrimage praxis and its theological underpinnings. It highlights the pragmatism of the priests and congregations involved in adapting traditional forms to complex new contexts involving the loss of tangible and intangible heritage. The analysis shows that both events include the active agency of both the institution and local participants and a significant amount of invention in relation to new contexts of loss. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Vuola, Elina |
spellingShingle |
Vuola, Elina Reinventions of an Old Tradition: Orthodox Processions and Pilgrimage in Contemporary Finland |
author_facet |
Vuola, Elina |
author_sort |
Vuola, Elina |
title |
Reinventions of an Old Tradition: Orthodox Processions and Pilgrimage in Contemporary Finland |
title_short |
Reinventions of an Old Tradition: Orthodox Processions and Pilgrimage in Contemporary Finland |
title_full |
Reinventions of an Old Tradition: Orthodox Processions and Pilgrimage in Contemporary Finland |
title_fullStr |
Reinventions of an Old Tradition: Orthodox Processions and Pilgrimage in Contemporary Finland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Reinventions of an Old Tradition: Orthodox Processions and Pilgrimage in Contemporary Finland |
title_sort |
reinventions of an old tradition: orthodox processions and pilgrimage in contemporary finland |
publisher |
Brill |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15685276-12341602 https://brill.com/view/journals/nu/67/5-6/article-p557_6.xml https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/nu/67/5-6/article-p557_6.xml |
genre |
karelia* saami |
genre_facet |
karelia* saami |
op_source |
Numen volume 67, issue 5-6, page 557-585 ISSN 0029-5973 1568-5276 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1163/15685276-12341602 |
container_title |
Numen |
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67 |
container_issue |
5-6 |
container_start_page |
557 |
op_container_end_page |
585 |
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1799483050971627520 |