The Role of the Media in the Growth of the Pilgrimage Site

Abstract

St. Anne's Feast in Penang, which is the largest Catholic pilgrimage event in Malaysia, has seen regular reporting by the country's secular, English-language print media for over eight decades, during which time it has grown from a localised event to a large, annual, and international religious gathering. The aim of this study is to examine the role of secular English language print media in Malaysia in launching and indirectly marketing the pilgrimage over the years. This study examines how the media continues to shape expectations of behaviour, size, and outcomes for the event, and how this indirect support has led to the expansion of a historical pilgrimage site via new constructs in recent times. Through textual analysis, the earliest, colonial-era narratives are examined and compared to recent articles about St. Anne's Feast in Malaysian English dailies. The study highlights how newspapers established a small town in mainland Penang as a major pilgrimage tourism attraction despite a lack of historical or cultural links between the site and the event or deity in question.