Pilgrim for hire
It is not an unusual practice and was common in the middle ages. Sons went for fathers, servants went for masters and you could pay someone to go on your behlaf if you were too frail to go yourself. Whole towns threatened by plague would send a few pilgrims to Rome or Santiago on their behalf.
You could inherit a family member's Compostela or indulgence.
In 2004 a website offererd prayer by proxy for pope's visit to Lourdes to those who couldn't make the trip.
And its not only Christian pilgrimages that had or have proxy pilgrims.
On the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage in Japan you can hire pilgrims to walk for you. One fellow charges ¥137 000 for a pilgrimage that yields a fully stamped white hanten, ¥149 000 for one with a book of temple stamps and ¥179 000 for the scroll version.
And how about watching the pilgrimage whilst walking on a treadmill?
Those who cannot afford the proxy pilgrimage can turn to the virtual world.
The "Ohenro-san (Pilgrims) Game" was launched in April 2003 by consumer electronics giant Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd.'s wholly owned subsidiary, Pin Change Co. Ltd. Scenes of the 88 temples roll by on a television screen as you walk on a treadmill or push the buttons on a Nintendo GameCube console. Since its launch, it has sold about 3,000 sets, mainly to people aged over 50, according to spokesperson Akihiro Tateno. The ¥12 800 basic set comes complete with a pedometer.
"Many people over a certain age want to go on the pilgrimage but few of them can realise their ambition... so, we decided to offer them virtual experience in addition to some exercise for their health," he said.
Elderly or infirm pilgrims to Hajj can appoint a proxy to prform some of the rituals for them.
Proxy pilgrims are not that unusual after all.
