Every year in May,
the Roma people in Europe,
also known as
the Romani people,
gather for
a religious festival
in honor of Saint Sara
in the town of
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer,
France.
This southern coastal town
is the capital
of the Camargue,
which is the region
between
the Mediterranean Sea and
the Rhone River delta.
Hallo, loving viewers.
Today, we are at
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer,
located in
the south of France.
A seaside resort,
this village is also
the capital of Camargue,
a magnificent humid area
located in the Rhone delta.
The Rhone is
a European river
that flows into
the Mediterranean Sea.
During a few days, the
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
village reunites
Roma people
from all over Europe.
They will be thousands
right behind me,
coming to honor
their patron saint Sara,
the Black Madonna.
With its
devotional atmosphere,
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
is said to be the place
where the three
Biblical Marys –
Mary Magdalene,
Mary Salome
and Mary Jacobe –
sailed to from Palestine
after witnessing
the resurrection of Jesus.
Legend has it
that these three saints
had a maid
by the name of Sara.
Sara was known
to be a kind woman
who helped the poor
by collecting alms, and
was thought to be a Roma.
The Roma people
regard her as their saint.
The village
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
takes its name
from Mary Jacobe
and Mary Salome,
who left Palestine
and ended up here, and
then took up as a servant,
Sara, the patron saint
of the Roma.
My name is Yanoush Sisco.
I’m presenting to you
a few stone engravings
that I’ve done here in
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
It’s a schist rock and
there are also some slates.
So this is the work
that I’ve been doing
during the year.
These are rocks
that I pick up at sea
and to which I give
pleasant forms that remain
in the country’s image.
We are from the east.
My parents
come from Poland,
my mother from Hungary
and my faith…
We’ve walked
on a great path,
but up until now,
what brought us to
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
is this wonderful
pilgrimage to see
our patron, Sara.
What exactly
is this pilgrimage?
This pilgrimage is mostly,
I think, about
a special gathering.
I’ve found people
who I’ve met in the past,
30 years ago,
we found each other
on the pilgrimage.
Is there a profound
religious dimension for you
in this pilgrimage?
Yes, yes, certainly.
The Church of
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
brings us closer,
closer to everyone really,
and Sara, in her crypt,
is for us
something very strong.
The faith in Sara has
brought a lot to the Roma.
Yes, the pilgrimage
is very beautiful;
we have faith in the Saint.
We have to believe in her
because she performs
a lot of miracles.
Another legend
depicts Saint Sara
to be of noble birth
living on the banks
of the Rhone.
She was one of the first
to have received the secrets
of the Revelation.
It was revealed to her
that the three saints
who had been present
during the crucifixion
of Lord Jesus
would arrive to her land.
The three Marys
did arrive to shore amidst
rough seas and weather,
and it was Saint Sara
who then helped them.
Interestingly, Saint Sara,
also known as Sara la Kali,
is also thought by some
to be the representation
of the Indian goddess Kali.
The procession in
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
is compared to the Kali
procession in India
where the statue
is immersed into water.
These traditions may
have been carried from
the Roma people’s roots
in India.
We are a family
of Romani and
we meet every year at
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer,
because that's
where we gather.
Because there are
families from home,
sometimes distant cousins
that we cannot see,
we see them here
exceptionally, at home.
The Roma people believe
in community living
and have strong values of
family and brotherhood.
We Roma have
a lot of respect
towards the elderly,
our brothers, our sisters,
our brothers-in-law,
the family, the children,
and let them live
to the best of this world.
So, we are
very family-oriented,
very warm.
Regarding the oldest one
whom we call grandfather
because he is the oldest,
so, for us, he is
our godfather, really.
He is our guide.
And the family today is
still the great melting pot
of sharing.
We still have this... in us,
the instinct of sharing.
And there is a word
with us, that says...
It is this law that
if one is in need of help,
the other will help without
trying to understand.
There is always sharing.
When we eat at home,
there's always more
in case someone comes
and they are hungry.
And we never hesitate
to give food to someone
who is hungry even if
we are without a meal.
I think their value,
their primary value,
in my opinion,
is brotherhood.
It is this support,
this ongoing support,
when one man is in trouble
the others
come immediately.
In the family today,
what are the strong values?
Well, it is respect,
community living,
especially with family!
You move all the time,
how you live with that?
Well, let us say
that is our life,
we are born into it,
we are cradled;
it is like the guitar,
we are born with a guitar.
So, the thing is that,
we do not notice,
but we are enriched
by all the people
we encounter
in every country,
in every city.
And that also allows us
to show our values,
because we are also
musicians in life.
And through this music,
we try to show
who we really are.
And what we love,
and our traditions!
To share with everyone
in fact, that's it.
The Roma people
are widely known
for their talents
in singing, dancing,
and craftsmanship.
Very spiritual,
they infuse their faith
in their arts.
In fact, music for the Roma,
we do not learn it,
we are born with it,
it is in our blood.
Everyone sings,
everyone does something.
When you are a Roma
at heart,
we have warm blood,
we are very warm people.
We sing a lot, we sing
to Jesus a lot, to God.
We sing a lot of God music.
Prayers?
Especially prayers
through our music.
In this world, especially,
we must also remember
what was the music.
Today, it's always
the flamenco here
in the south of France,
but long ago, it was
on the guitar of Django
that we discovered
our styles of music.
And that became
the Roma jazz
played by many today,
including the well-known
Thomas Dutronc.
It's a little bit today,
the world of travel
with an extraordinary
cultural mix.
These trades are also
found in dance.
Because today,
dance will not change.
It's always flamenco
for the Roma as such.
But in some places
as in the north of France,
it is also what we call
the “beacoup,” “ombra,”
or “rondelets.”
Dances in small steps
to mark the intensity
of meditation to go to
a communion in faith and
belief of all the elements
that surround us.
When you’re a nomad,
what is your relationship
to the Earth as a whole,
and because
there are no frontiers,
how do you see Earth
as you pass through it?
One thing for sure is
that we look at the sky
and the Sun.
The Sun, this freedom,
we as nomads,
it is all about freedom:
to live in total freedom
from our hearts,
we welcome all...
Of course,
there might be differences,
but we still
welcome others perfectly.
We make meals,
evenings with guitar,
violins, of course,
it is extraordinary.
We always put the bread
in a tree
when we eat in the wild.
It's always a question
of belief with the elements.
There are also some still
with us...
to recover from
poor health, sun bathing
or dew bathing
in the morning at dawn.
For bread
you put it in a tree.
We will never
put it on the ground.
We will always put it
on a tree branch
in the belief that
the tree gives us strength
and we breathe health.
Being a Roma is magical
because we head out
on an adventure
to discover the world.
Because we get back
on the road, we leave,
but we do not really know
where we will end up.
When we settle down,
and we just discovered
the world bit by bit
like that, we learn about
other traditions,
because every time
we stop somewhere,
we get to know people
that we do not really know.
To sum up, for people
who don’t know anything
about Roma people,
the big picture is music,
the heart, the big heart.
That’s what I think:
the heart.
Yes, absolutely.
Yes, indeed.
You feel the Roma music,
you hear the violins,
the xylophones
and the pan flute.
You hear something
that holds on to the heart,
that catches the heart.
It is the song of life,
the singing of the past,
the present and the future.
Most importantly,
it is a legacy
and what we call legacy
is that of receiving.
It’s really
all about welcoming,
truly about welcoming.
It leaves a good memory,
we always leave
good memories and that
is very important for us.
And I wondered
if there were children who
became friends over time
after the gathering?
Yes, yes.
How is it when they part?
When they part, when
you move on to another...
We never say goodbye.
We say,
“See you tomorrow,”
very simply.
It’s a desire to fully live.
We must get back
on the long road
and we have no frontiers.
There are no frontiers;
there are no borders
for others
to come to our home.
May the Roma people
and your warm-hearted
traditions be blessed
and flourish evermore.
Wishing you all
a joyous, blessed and
memorable pilgrimage.
Thank you
for your kind presence
on our show today
about the Roma culture
and pilgrimage at
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer,
France.
Coming up next is
Words of Wisdom,
after Noteworthy News,
on Supreme Master
Television.
May we all
cherish one another
in love and harmony.