Optcha! Is Roma a religion? An analysis of the activities, performance, and rituals of the Roma people in the city of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

This essay analyzes the activities of the different actors that comprise the Roma scenario, which has become established in the city of Rio de Janeiro in recent years. I decided to highlight two of the rituals I have been following in field work for my doctoral research, presenting some of the Roma people who were present, and their participation and activities in these rituals. In the images, in a photographic and ethnographic narrative, I present, describe, highlight, and propose to reflect on the two rituals, as scenarios of social situations (Gluckman 1987), to emphasize issues I consider central to understanding these activities in a collection of photographs. In the first group of images, I present the group called Tenda CiganaEspiritualista Tzara Ramirez (Tzara Ramirez Spiritualist Roma Tent) in Nova Iguaçu, Baixada Fluminense in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The second group of images focuses on the commemoration of the National Roma and Saint Sara Kali Day, a Roma celebration with the greatest visibility that takes place in the city. The ritual incorporates civil, religious, and cultural Roma expressions.