Panel on Marian Devotion among the Roma at the World Anthropological Union Congress 2025 (Guatemala)

The World Anthropological Union Congress’s notably diverse programme included approximately 170 academic and practical sessions, book presentations, masterclasses, laboratories, and screenings of visual anthropological films. More than 1,000 specialists, selected from over 5,000 proposals, participated, representing fields such as ethnography, ethnology, anthropology, history, sociology, cultural studies, and related disciplines. Leading research centres from around the world, including those in Russia, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, India, the Philippines, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, and many others, were among the participating institutions.

Within the framework of the congress, Tatiana Zachar Podolinská and Elena Marushiakova organised the panel “Veneration of the Virgin Mary among the Roma – Global Challenges and Local Diversities.” The panel explored manifestations of both church-based and non-institutional religiosity among the Roma (formerly known as “Gypsies”) through the example of the cult of the Virgin Mary. Special emphasis was placed on contemporary and post-modern spiritualities, previously unexplored phenomena of religious experimentation, conversion and de-conversion, and the widespread syncretism typical of Roma religiosity (for more see: https://www.waucongress2025.org/panel/?id=347).

The panel aimed to reassess the role of Marian devotion in Roma communities as a means of social, cultural, and ethnic innovation; its significance in shaping and reshaping identity; its impact on social inclusion and exclusion, social mobility, and migration; and its functions in promoting social cohesion, networking, and non-traditional religious expressions. Marian devotion—including pilgrimages and apparitions—is not a static relic of the past. Instead, it serves as a powerful expression of post-modern religiosity, highlighting key aspects of both spirituality and popular religion. Driven by “living faith,” emotions, and miracles, it reflects not only a response to modern rationality and secularisation but also acts as a vehicle for the rise of spontaneous, grassroots Christianity, contrasting with the “normative religion” represented by official Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical, and Islamic traditions.

Rooted in the analysis of local social fields, the panel examined how Roma communities worldwide respond to contemporary global challenges such as migration, mobility, social stratification, and geopolitical pressures. It contextualised the religiosity practised by Roma in the early twenty-first century within the broader framework of post-modern religious dynamics. The individual papers illustrated these processes through case studies from Roma communities in different parts of the world.

Tatiana Zachar Podolinská (Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology, SAS) presented her extensive qualitative research on “Marian Devotion Among the Roma in Slovakia: Ethnicised and Enculturated Mary”. The paper explores how Marian devotion is ingrained in the unspoken system of rules and values within Roma communities in Slovakia, tracing the “appropriation” of the Virgin Mary in traditional Romani Catholicism. It emphasises the ethnicisation and enculturation through which the “White” Virgin Mary is culturally adapted to meet the needs and aspirations of marginalised communities. A key part of the presentation examined the roles that the Virgin Mary plays in contemporary Romani Christianity, along with rituals and practices associated with her. The paper concludes by discussing the figure of the “Chocolate Mary”—an ethnicised and enculturated Romani Virgin Mary—and her potential to serve as a post-modern religious response to the marginalisation of Roma people. It also addresses interactions between traditional Mary-centred religiosity in rural Roma communities and the emerging Neo-Protestant and Pentecostal movements in post-communist Slovakia, which promote an anti-Marian discourse. The contribution is output of the project APVV–22–0389 (RELIROMA), “Research of Religiosity, Spirituality, and Irreligiosity Among the Roma in Slovakia”.

Elena Marushiakova and Veselin Popov (Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology, SAS) discussed their extensive research on the pilgrimage to the Dormition of the Theotokos (Mother of God) Monastery in Bachkovo of diverse Roma groups.

Elena Marushiakova presented a paper titled “The pilgrimage to the Dormition of the Mother of God Monastery in Bachkovo: Roma Orthodox Christians”

Veselin Popov’s presentation explored “The pilgrimage of the Muslim Roma to the Orthodox Monastery Dormition of the Mother of God in Bachkovo”.

Both presentations are based on materials and observations gathered over the past 30 years. Their presentations examined changes in the form and significance of the pilgrimage across three distinct historical periods and concluded with an analysis of its most recent developments and underlying causes.

Kinga and István Povedák (University of Szeged and Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest) shared their findings from long-term fieldwork among Roma in Hungary, concentrating on the pilgrimage to a well-known site in Csatka.

Kinga Povedák’s paper, “Reconfiguring Marian Devotion: The Transformation of Marian Cult among Evangelical Roma Communities in Hungary,” examined how various evangelical missions—particularly Pentecostal charismatic churches—have attracted increasing numbers of Roma converts in recent decades. Drawing on ethnographic research, she analysed emerging narratives surrounding the abandonment of Marian devotion, exploring the perspectives of pastors, community leaders, and families, as well as new creative religious expressions arising from this shift. The presentation offered insights into how grassroots Pentecostal movements reinterpret sacred traditions and reshape devotional practices amid broader societal transformations.

István Povedák’s presentation, “Personal Visions, Pilgrimage, and Religious Identity: The Veneration of the Virgin Mary Among Hungarian Catholic Roma,” centred on the case of “Kalapos Zoli,” a well-known Hungarian Roma religious specialist. By analysing Zoli’s personal visions, Marian apparitions, household chapel, and his participation in the pilgrimage to Csatka, the paper highlighted ethnic specificities of Marian devotion among Roma—an aspect often intertwined with stereotypes. It also raised the broader question of whether differences in Marian devotion between Roma and gadje (non-Roma) could promote Roma inclusion or, conversely, deepen local religious tensions.

Serving as discussant, Sofiya Zahova (University of Iceland) demonstrated exceptional expertise in the field of Roma religion. Her questions and comments sparked an extended discussion that exceeded the allotted time for the panel. As a result of the panel’s rich debates and high-quality contributions, participants agreed to compile a collective monograph based on the presented papers.

Panel is the output of the project APVV–22–0389 (RELIROMA), “Research of Religiosity, Spirituality, and Irreligiosity Among the Roma in Slovakia” and of research grant eHISTORY OF ROMA EMANCIPATION, 09I01-03-V08-00001 funded by the EU NextGenerationEU through the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Slovakia.