The Lalish pilgrimage involves barefoot walking in the sacred valley, baptism in the White Spring, tying and untying knots in silk cloths at the shrine while making wishes, and processions with the sacred sanjak standards. Nothing may be brought into the valley that would pollute it, and the prohibitions are numerous and specific. For a community whose religion is transmitted orally and locally, the physical site does much of the work that scripture does elsewhere.