Back to South France Retreat
and Tour
The Gypsy pilgrimage of Sainte
Sarah
 Every year the Roma celebrate and worship their patron saint, Saint
Sarah, also known as Sara-la-Kali (Sara the black) in the coastal village of
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue region of the Provence, Southern
France.
There are several stories connected to the dark faced Saint Sarah,
and especially her origins offer some interesting tales.
Legend has it she was the servant of the other
locally celebrated Mary Saints. It is believed that at the beach they erected an altar
to pray, but soon thereafter they dispersed. The relics of Mary Magdalene,
Mary Salome and Mary Jacob are said to be kept in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
and each has their own annual pilgrimage. These women are believed
to be the first people to witness to the empty tomb just before the
resurrection of Jesus, and especially the Mary Magdalene cult is very
wide-spread in the Provence.
An alternative legend of Sara-la-Kali states
her as a pagan of noble birth, later converted to the faith of Abraham.
And last but not least, a most intriguing explanation, believes her
to be the local, Christianized manifestation of
the Indian goddess "Kali".
The ceremony in Saintes-Maries closely parallels the annual processions
in India, the country in which the Romani are believed to have originated.
During the Indian pilgrimage celebrations, statues of the Indian goddess
Durga, also named Kali, are immersed into water. Durga, a consort of
Shiva, is usually represented with a black face, as is Saint Sarah.
The Indian goddess Durga or Kali is the goddess of creation, sickness
and death.
The Gypsy pilgrimage of Sainte Sarah is a unique, spiritual festival,
vibrant and colourful, offering a deeper insight into the lives and
culture of this ancient nomadic tribe, we call gypsies, the Roma.
|
