Fluidity and Religious Rituals (A Case Study on Pilgrimage to Sohrab Sepehri’s Grave)

• Main Authors: Sara Shariati Mazinani, Shima Gholamreza Kashi
• Format: Article
• Language: fas
• Published: Iranian Institute for Social and Cultural Studies 2015-12-01
• Series: Taḥqīqāt-i Farhangī-i Īrān
• Subjects: Forms of Religiosity; Pilgrimage; Rituals; Sacred Places
• Online Access: http://www.jicr.ir/article_257_ed33d80ab07e61b92ee475d13e485326.pdf

This article is a qualitative research on changes in religious rituals: making places and people secared that are not considered sacred in religious traditions. Sohrab Sepehri’s grave is a case of those “modern places” and this research is a case study on its pilgrim’s rituals and insights. Young pilgrims of Sohrab’s grave are creating and experiencing new forms of religiosity. All these forms have complicated relations with traditional religion: Trying to be distinct as well as borrowing some elements of it. This phenomenoncan be interpreted as an attempt to create a more flexible version of religiosity which is more fluid and pluralistic and is capable of creating deep warm spiritual experiences by changing some popular religious rituals as pilgrimage.