Northern Cross is an annual,

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

cross-carrying, walking pilgrimage to

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...

(Holy Island) that takes place at

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

. The

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

was founded in 1976 by walkers from

Student Cross Pilgrim Cross (formerly known as Student Cross) is the annual, Ecumenical, cross-carrying, walking pilgrimage to Walsingham that takes place over Holy Week and Easter. It is the longest continuous walking pilgrimage in Britain and is walked by pilg ...

seeking a new destination, who led a group of pilgrims on a walk from Penrith (near

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

) to Lindisfarne, taking it in turns to carry the Cross. The pilgrimage has grown over the decades and currently consists of up to seven different 'Legs' that start from different areas of the

Scotland-England border The Anglo-Scottish border () is a border separating Scotland and England which runs for between Marshall Meadows Bay on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The surrounding area is sometimes referred to as "the Borderlands". The ...

region leading up to the celebration of the

Easter Triduum The Paschal Triduum or Easter Triduum (Latin: ''Triduum Paschale''), Holy Triduum (Latin: ''Triduum Sacrum''), or the Three Days, is the period of three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday, reaches its high poin ...

. The Pilgrimage has been officially ecumenical since its start and welcomes all faiths and those of none, although it has a strong

flavour. The act of the pilgrimage is considered a unique witness to the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, as carrying a cross is a very symbolic act, which relives the road to Calvary, and reminds of the importance of Christ, and specifically Easter, both to the pilgrims taking part and those who watch it pass. Pilgrims are hosted along their way by the communities they pass through (Anglican, Catholic, Church of Scotland, Methodist and Baptist) and the walkers join in worship with them along the way. The pilgrimage is open to people of all ages, and all shades of Christianity. For many, Northern Cross is said to give a chance to get away from the world, a retreat, to top-up their faith, and to share in a small Christian community for the week. It has been featured in mainstream media on many occasions, notably on BBC Songs of Praise, and various journals and daily newspapers. All the main legs walk for seven days, over a distance of approximately 70 to 120 miles. There are also usually two other legs: (1) a family group leg, based in one location during Holy Week, and which follows shorter routes suitable for young children and toddlers. and (2) an 'extreme' long distance leg which has in the past walked to Lindisfarne from locations as far distant as Iona, St Ninian's Bay (Dumfries), and St Andrews, over a longer period of up to two weeks. This extreme leg varies in route and method each year. All the participating leg groups meet at the Beal Sands tidal causeway on the morning of

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...

and celebrate the Easter liturgy together on

over the

weekend. The typical five main legs are known as: * Melrose (starts walking from Melrose) * Lanark (starts walking from Lanark) * Haddington (starts walking from Haddington, south of Edinburgh) * Carlisle (starts walking from Carlisle) * Bellingham(starts walking from the village of Bellingham near Hexham)

References

External links

Northern Cross official website

Northern Cross Facebook fan page

Northern Cross Flickr site

YouTube - short film made on NorthernCross 2006, but representative of any year

Student Cross
a similar Easter pilgrimage, which walks during Holy Week to

Walsingham Walsingham () is a civil parish in North Norfolk, England, famous for its religious shrines in honour of Mary, mother of Jesus. It also contains the ruins of two medieval Christian monasticism, monastic houses.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Exp ...

in Norfolk; initially set up in 1948, it was veteran walkers from this who founded Northern Cross.
Scottish Cross
another natural development from Student and Northern Cross with cross carrying pilgrims walking to Iona on two routes - Fort William and Loch Lomond Legs - during Holy Week.
holy-island.uk
a guide to walking the Pilgrim's Way to Holy Island. {{DEFAULTSORT:Northern Cross (Pilgrimage) Christian pilgrimages Lindisfarne