1 Pilgrimage as a Social Strategy of Health Ali Yousofi Associate Professor of Sociology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Email: yousofi@um.ac.ir Mohammad Reza Hashemi Professor of English Language and Literature, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran Email: hashemi@um.ac.ir Abstract Pilgrimage is a religious, spiritual and mystical issue and it consists of meeting people and visiting places that are respected and honored as well as considered superior and of extraordinary nature by pilgrims. The purpose of this article is to show that pilgrimage is one of the important sources of health for pilgrims. Examples of phenomenological and semantic analysis of pilgrimage experiences and supplication of pilgrims visiting the Shiite Imams' shrines clearly indicate that their sense of devotion, humility, and compassion signifies improved spiritual health; their sense of being forgiven, calmness and lightness indicates improved mental health; their link with hosts and with the companions and feeling close to and friendly with them demonstrates social health and finally, their increased self-care and ability to suspend routine consumption patterns during pilgrimage trips, especially the Arbaeen journey which is associated with walking and austerity, signifies improved physical health. These findings suggest that pilgrimage is an effective social strategy for health and produces and reproduces various types of health. Consequently, not only physical health but also all aspects of health should be considered in pilgrim health promotion programs. Key concepts: Pilgrimage, Pilgrimage journey, Health, Health Promotion Programs, Social Strategy