Paper short abstract:

How are boundaries between religion and cultural heritage traversed? The presentation explores historical pilgrimage destinations in Norway as arenas for emerging intersections between heritagisation and sacralisation, expressed through performances in the middle ground between ritual and play.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation explore how borders between religious and secular spheres are challenged and crossed, with the re-enactment of the translation of St Sunniva from the island of Selja to the city of Bergen, Norway as the case. I will argue that this event can be studied as an arena for boundary work/intersections between a ritual and a playful performance of cultural heritage. In 1170, the translation of St Sunniva made her the patron saint of Bergen. The usage of the legend of St Sunniva as a narrative frame for the event in 2020 can be seen as a “re-storying” of Bergen as a pilgrimage destination. I will argue that the creation of “absent presences” (Harrison 2013, Bowman & Sepp 2019) in a procession with a symbolic, empty reliquary enable the playful middle ground between religious ritual and historical re-enactment. The event involved a variety of participants, from politicians, members of religious congregations, historical re-enactors, museums and agents of local commerce. The procession through the streets of Bergen was literarily taking as well as making place – challenging the spheres of religion and public space in the process – through performative engagements with history and legend. It can thus be viewed as a performance creating an inclusive space allowing for intersections between religious practice and shared cultural heritage. At the same time, the event accentuated contestations about the boundaries of these spheres. The presentation will further address possibilities and challenges for researchers participating in/observing such events through ethnographic fieldwork.