Summary The purpose of this volume is to explore, re-interpret and re-contextualise the various natures of practices performed by the Orthodox and Catholic pilgrims in Balkan countries in their devotional ?path to touch the sacred and holy? through the prism of pilgrimage contents, and their articulating, using, and handling strategies. Inter- and transdisciplinary perspectives constitute a strong point for exploring the essence of this collective practice of worship, which is theoretically and critically interpreted, and chronologically and diachronically analysed. Therefore, the various visions of the authors, formed on the basis of qualitative and critical analysis of primary (ethnographic and folkloric data from field interviews, archive documents, samples, etc.) and secondary sources, come to fill a gap in research on pilgrimage in southeast Europe, and especially on pilgrimage practices in Eastern Orthodoxy. Particularly, the ritual practices, sacred places in contemporary Balkan societies, religious folklore, divine intervention stories, miracle-working icons, relics and reliquaries as part of the structure of pilgrimage are discussed. The authors explore the context in which the Christian shrines in the Balkans are spaces where the ethnic and denominational patterns in pilgrimage are revealed openly on multiple levels; they delve into how the correlative effects between politics and religion are manifested. In this volume, which is the result of a project initiated by the Balkan History Association, the authors focus on theoretical analysis, stressing the historical and contemporary behaviour performed by the Christian pilgrims, and highlighting the fact that the motivations for going to the sacred places can vary, from seeking and obtaining Divine help to leisure, religious/faith tourism, etc. TABLE OF CONTENTS Approaching a Metaphor: Touching the Sacred and Holy. Introduction by Dorina Dragnea and Emmanouil Ger. Varvounis Life-giving Energies and Healing. Emically Sensitive Ethnography of Orthodox Christian Pilgrimage in Bulgaria, Magdalena Luba?ska Christian Shrines as a Space of Ethnic and Religious Interrelations. Two Cases in Kosovo and Albania, Aleksandra Dugushina and Alexander Novik Pilgrimage Diffusion and Polycentrism in St Nikodemos of Berat's Veneration, Konstantinos Giakoumis Visiting Saint Naum. Blurring Motivations and Activities of Pilgrims and Tourists, Evelyn Reuter The Phenomenon of Pilgrimages on the East Adriatic Coast between the Middle of the Thirteenth and the End of the Fifteenth Centuries, Zoran Ladi? Holy Journey to the Monastery or at the Wonderworking Icon of the Neam? as Described by Archimandrite Andronic Popovici, Ion Gumen i Pilgrimages and Pilgrims in the Arad Counthy as an Expression of the Confessional, Ethnic and Socio-political Realities (1700-1939), Maria Alexandra Pantea The Mother of God of Bistrica Shrine as Croatian National Pilgrimage Center, Mirela Hrovatin Pilgrimage in the Romanian Orthodox Church. Aspects of the Pedagogy of Faith, Constantin Necula Pilgrimage Rituals and Places in Modern Greece, Emmanouil Ger. Varvounis The Pilgrimage Practice in Moldova as a Medium for Displaying of the Official and Vernacular Religiosity, Dorina Dragnea From a Local Sanctuary to the 'Ostrog of the Djerdap?. The Role of Monasticism in Creating the Most Visited Pilgrimage Destination in Serbia, Biljana An?elkovi? Revitalizing Identity Through Pilgrimage to an Aegean Island. Memory, Ritual Practice and Communal Belonging at Saint Panteleimon's Annual Festival in Saria, Greece, Vassiliki Chryssanthopoulou From Pilgrimage to Festival and Commerce. Changes in the Use of Space in the Pilgrimage to the Church of Saint Barbara in the Municipality of 'Aghia Varvara? in Attica, Greece, Georgios Kouzas Conclusion, Evelyn Reuter General Index