The Gypsy Cult (Rom and Ludar) of Saint Anne and Guadalupe, in Canada and Mexico

Abstract

Gypsies, widely known as the Rom, Ludar and Calo populations who speak Romani, Archaic Romanian and Spanish or Portuguese of the Iberian Peninsula, respectively, came to Canada and Mexico in different waves of migration.

Since its origins in India, the importance of the feminine cult has been assumed and later transformed through Catholicism, into the cult of the Virgins in the countries where they emigrated. Canadian Rom adopted the cult of Saint Anne, visiting her at the shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec. The Rom and Ludar of Mexico visit the Virgin of Guadalupe.

What are the attributes of the Virgin of Guadalupe and of Saint Anne?, what are the specificities of this cult in both countries?, how is the articulation given in the respective national cultures?