Romani Religion
Although the Romani were a predominantly Hindu people back in India, they are known to commonly adopt the dominant region within the country they reside in. That is, Romani in Eastern Europe are mostly Orthodox, Catholic, and Muslim, those living more towards the West are usually Catholic or Protestant, while those in the Southern portions of Europe nearer to the middle-east are mostly Muslim.
In more recent times, primarily since the end of WWII, there has been an increasing trend of Romani spearheading religious movements. That is, more and more Romani have set up Romani churches, as well as missionary organizations. This is especially evident in a number of European and Western countries, an example of which would be Spain, where a good hundred churches exist in the city of Madrid alone. These movements have not been limited to evangelicalism, with the Romani in the southeast of Europe increasingly active in Islamic brotherhoods, leading to an overall more respected cultural perception of the Romani people in society. |
FUN FACT‘Cross’, in the Romani language, symbolizes a trident, commonly associated with Shiva, the major Hindu deity.
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