A Pilgrimage in Csiksomlyo (Harghita County Romania)

I have never considered myself a religious man. Baptized as a Catholic in a predominantly Catholic Country, the Philippines, I never had any fervent desires to be closer to god. Being Catholic was just a normal thing to be in the country. I went to church as a child growing up, every Sunday without fail. I did more Hail Mary’s than I would care to remember. However, as I immigrated to America and thrown into the American School system, I have started to practice Catholicism less and less.

So, when I traveled to Romania. I wasn’t expecting to end up in one of the biggest Catholic pilgrimages in Europe – In Romania’s Harghita County in the town of Csiksomlyo.

To give a little backdrop as to how that happened. I had been freelancing to fund my travels around Eastern Europe. I picked Brasov in Romania as my headquarters because it is quiet, cheap, and had great internet. Everything has been good except for the perpetually gloomy weather that allowed little in terms of photographic opportunities.

Bored out of my mind, I asked Monica, a soft-spoken receptionist at the hostel I was staying at (Kismet Dao) information about places I can visit that’s not often visited by tourists. She hooked me up with her friend Cornelius. Cornelius was an avid traveler himself and actually freelances as a private tour guide for corporate clients.

^{Csíksomlyó Village (Șumuleu Ciuc) is a neighborhood of Miercurea Ciuc, Harghita County, Romania. The Franciscan monastery of Csíksomlyó was founded 1442.}

He knows Romania well and knows many people. He told me that there was a massive Catholic Pilgrimage in Sumuleu Ciuc in Harghita County. At first, I was a little hesitant. I’m not religious and the thought of going back to church on Sunday just threw me back to thoughts of boring hours where I’d be kneeling on a wooden plank on the floor. Not fun. I would rather sit in the gloomy hostel with a 2-liter bottle of Ciuc beer on my hand.

^{Having lunch with Cornelius}

However, Cornelius showed me a couple of pictures of the masses of pilgrims gathering like ants an on top of a hill; I thought that might be a good photo opportunity. He also sweetened the deal by offering to let me stay in a spare room in his Communist Era apartment.

I have never been in one!

Sweet!

^{Pilgrims on the way up the hill}

So, I ran to the first train I could hop on and make my way to a place I have never heard of. This is what I live for, adventures and out into the unknown. Csiksomlyo is actually a district of the city Miercurea-Ciuc and the train ride from Brasov to Miercurea-Ciuc took 1 hour and 45 minutes. I learned later that the famous Romanian Ciuc beer actually came from here!

^{Mecurea-Ciuc town center}

My train arrived and I Cornelius was there to meet and greet me. We started walking towards his apartment but detoured for a quick tour around town. It’s town with a city center, nothing grand and it is probably going to attract a ton of tourist to the area. However, I will try to explain it as vividly as I can.

It’s like a major throwback to the eighties, as if the Berlin wall did not fall!

^{A decent town center}

There is a certain allure of going to a place that never moved through time. Guys, if you want to check out some out of the ordinary non-touristy stuff and you're in Romania, definitely check out Miercurea-Ciuc!

After a quick tour of the town square, we met with Cornelius’ friend Eva, a beautiful woman with striking blue eyes, for dinner at San Gennaro Pizzeria. Right off the bat, she proclaimed that she’s Hungarian. The pride in her voice echoes a connotation that deserves mention and it all has to do with the history of this place.

I did a little digging into the history of Harghita. Harghita County sits in what used to be the extent of this Austro-Hungarian Empire in Transylvania. Following WWI, the empire disintegrated and the nationalities within wanted to proclaim their independence. During WWII, it was given back to the ethnic Hungarians. However, at the end of WWII, after Germany lost, the land returned to Romania yet again.

^{Pilgrims waving Hungarian flags}

The history here is profound, filled with intrigue and enough to spin your head around in circles 6 days over if you are not into history. It seems like a place ripe for conflict but that is not what I have observed. Inter-cultural tolerance appears to be what is prevalent and but I can sense some unease between Romanians and Hungarians - in fact, that's been my experience traveling throughout eastern Europe. Cornelius (who's Romanian) seems to get along well with everyone here (majority Hungarians).

^{Pilgrims with banners}

Csíksomlyó became a pilgrimage site in 1567 when a Hungarian King wanted to convert the Székely population to Protestantism, the Székelys resisted. A conflict took place in a field nearby on Saturday prior to Pentecost 1567 and the Székelys came out victorious. The monks saw this as an indication of a blessing from the Virgin Mary and since then became a pilgrimage site.

Throughout the years, thousands of people from around the world, coming as far the United States and Australia, joined the Harghita locals to pray for blessings and miracles from the Virgin Mary.

I could see masses of people ascending upon the hill and gathering in droves is amazing to behold. I estimated somewhere between 100,000 - 150,000 pilgrims making their way up the hill. Cornelius explained that at one point, it was recorded that over 250,000 people showed up to the pilgrimage.

^{Masses of Pilgrims}

That is a quarter million people!

Pilgrims begin their journey from villages far as 55km away waving banners and flags which represent their villages as they continue their march towards a steep mountain, known as the "Way of the Cross", to gather pray at a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. The statue is purported to have caused countless miracles and fulfilled wishes.

^{So lush}

I have only ever seen this sort of fervent devotion to a faith before - In the Philippines; people would volunteer to be themselves nailed to the cross and whipped how Jesus was in history. It makes you wonder the sort of mental state these people are in to allow such an act. Apart from its religious significance, the pilgrimage is communal event illustrating the spiritual unity of Hungarians living in Transylvania.

^{More people going up the hill}

Csíksomlyó is lush with rolling green hills where old villages could be seen over the horizon. It is well known for its mineral springs and spas. There was a gathering of people near this well that was spewing out natural water from deep inside the earth. Cornelius told me it was ok to drink and that it would actually be healthy.

I got in line.

Filled my bottle.

Drank.

Yuck! It tasted like somebody farted on my water.

Its got a unique taste, like carbonated mineral water that was rusty and stinky.

Not my cup o’ tea but I drank it for health anyway.

After the end of the day, some pilgrims extend their stay by spending a night in the Church while some make their way into the former boundary of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Ghimes. The pilgrimage more or less ends with various artisans and artisans selling Hungarian wares along the way.

^Goulash

^{Massive chunks of ham}

^{Kürtőskalács}

There are several vendors selling typical Hungarian dishes such as Kürtőskalács, Goulash, Langos, and various cured and barbecued meats in the streets. I have more than had my fill of the various dishes and beers offered during the festival.

Ahem, I mean pilgrimage.

Now, this is the part of the “pilgrimage” that I truly enjoyed.