Faith

Due to their centuries-long journey from India to Europe, the Roma lost their traditional Indian religion and adopted the faith of the people among whom they settled. Their constant nomadic lifestyle made it easy for them to change religions and incorporate elements of different beliefs into their customs and traditions.

However, for the Roma, faith has always been more important than religiosity.

In Lithuania, the Roma community follows two main religions: Litovska Roma and Lotfitka are Catholics, while the Kotliars, who arrived from Moldova after World War II, are Orthodox Christians.

Like Lithuanians, the Roma celebrate all religious holidays. During Easter and Christmas, no matter how large the family is, everyone gathers at the home of the eldest family member.

Photo from the collection of Andrzej Grzymała-Kozłowski
(Roma Culture Museum in Warsaw, www.romuzeum.pl)