Very good article.
I was born in Romania 63 kilometres from Csiksomlyo, never been overly religious.
I completed the pilgrimage 4 times during my teens and early twenties from my hometown, Udvarhely to Csiksomlyo. it's around 120 kilometers back and forth.
Pilgrims from Udvarhely always went in a group (talking about 500-600 people - others also joined from surrounding cities/countries), left the city Friday early morning and arrived home by Sunday evening, 120 km on foot, 3 days, and religious or not, an unforgettable experience, like your article a good reflection of the reality.
About the spring water, it tastes like crap because it's full of iron, it's healthy in the short term, never drink it for too long (I mean years).
The traditional clothing is Szekely on the pictures.
The red-white-green flag is the Hungarian flag (as you prob. know); the light-blue-yellow-light blue is the Szekely.
Big respect for using Hungarian characters in the names.
If you have any questions, get in touch, I am happy to answer. :)
Amazing to see a post of such a small tucked away culture on steemit, brings back old memories.
Well, how about that! It was one of the most memorable experiences I've had traveling :)