Fortune Telling As A Part Of The Roma Culture

An aspect of Gypsy culture which has often intrigued many is their practice of divination, or fortune telling. Fortune telling is commonly associated with the Romani people, and for good reason as divination forms an integral aspect of Romani culture, dating back hundreds of years.

As with Romani tradition, gypsy fortune tellers are always female, the fortune tellers in question known as drabardi. Fortune telling acts a livelihood to some, but one must bear in mind that the Romani only practiced divination as a source of income with non-Romani people, that is, the Gadje; they never did so amongst their own people.

Although fortune telling was largely condemned in the past, the prejudice that rose against it is still, to this day, very much present, even if it has taken on a more subtle approach. Once shunned harshly by the church for its superstitious connotations which went against biblical references forbidding the practice, fortune telling has slowly gained footing in the society of today, with many countries generally more receptive of “psychics” as long as there is adherence to local laws.

An aspect of Roma culture which has often intrigued many is their practice of divination, or fortune telling. Fortune telling is commonly associated with the Romani people, and for good reason as divination forms an integral aspect of Romani culture, dating back hundreds of years. As with Romani tradition, Roma fortune tellers are always female, the fortune tellers in question known as drabardi. Fortune telling acts a livelihood to some, but one must bear in mind that the Romani only practiced divination as a source of income with non-Romani people, that is, the Gadje; they never did so amongst their own people.

Although fortune telling was largely condemned in the past, the prejudice that rose against it is still, to this day, very much present, even if it has taken on a more subtle approach. Once shunned harshly by the church for its superstitious connotations which went against biblical references forbidding the practice, fortune telling has slowly gained footing in the society of today, with many countries generally more receptive of “psychics” as long as there is adherence to local laws.

Author: Tebea Jikidze

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