There had been speculation that Hussein would be executed before Eid Al-Adha -- a holiday period that means Feast of the Sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims around the world at the climax of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

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Thirty-five Harvard colleagues and I are at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India, a mass pilgrimage in which tens of millions of Hindus gather to bathe at the confluence of the sacred Ganga (Ganges) River, the Yamuna River, and the mythical underground Saraswathi.

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Wake up early and do a three-faith pilgrimage, stopping at the Global Pagoda off the Borivali station, and Haji Ali Mosque and Mahalaxmi Temple in Mahalaxmi.

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The retro theme borders on kitsch, but when the fish is splashed with vinegar, sprinkled with salt and served in a traditional twist of newspaper (well, a photocopy at least), the experience becomes pilgrimage-worthy.

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Despite witnessing signs of the conflict, the situation did not affect the tour "at all, " he said, encouraging other Christians to make the pilgrimage unless there were official warnings to stay away.

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Adil and Khadija, in their "ihram, " headed for the Grand Mosque to perform their pilgrimage rites, Mohammed and the minder settled themselves into our rooms at the Hilton.

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Their pilgrimage took them to the cultural treasures at Luoyang and Xian, both sites of ancient capitals, the old trading post of Dunhuang and, of course, Beijing and the Great Wall.

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The vaccinations became a thorny issue in Saudi Arabia and some neighboring countries after the government strongly recommended the vaccine to people coming to the country for the Hajj, a pilgrimage required of Muslims at least once in their lives.

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Now, as many as 85, 000 Apple Computer fans make a pilgrimage to the MacWorld expo, the annual four-day event at San Francisco's Moscone Center.

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This year, 3, 000 exhibitors are booked to present at the show, and projections suggest that attendees may exceed the 153, 000 people who make the annual pilgrimage last year to Las Vegas.

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