The Şumuleu Ciuc pilgrimage (Csíksomlyó in Hungarian) is a large-scale (Roman-Catholic) confessional event, which takes place in the locality of the same name, today a district of the city of Miercurea Ciuc in Harghita county.
At the Franciscan Monastery in Şumuleu Ciuc and on the route marked by the chapels in the vicinity of the monastery, members of the Roman Catholic communities from Transylvania and Moldova gather, first of all, but also Catholic believers from abroad and people of other denominations. The pilgrimage from Şumuleu Ciuc is, first of all, a confessional event, held for several days during the Catholic Pentecost, being also a ritual manifestation, which combines elements specific to the Roman Catholic religion with those belonging to popular religiosity.
The pilgrims’ journey can last a few hours or several days, depending on where each group departs from. It is important to reach Şumuleu Ciuc on the Pentecost Friday, considering as an important moment of the pilgrimage the meeting with the Holy Spirit, the giver of strength and health who, according to faith, manifests in a special place and time, in the rising Sun”.
