Welcome to Romanistan: an intimate festival in celebration of Romani art & culture. In true Romani style, over the course of several days, this festival will include a family style dinner, art & altar installations, performances, lively music, storytelling, fortune telling and intimate discussions of cross cultural spiritual traditions. The festival marks the release of Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, a book by Jezmina Von Thiele and Paulina Stevens, co-hosts of Romanistan podcast. This one of a kind book re-centers Romani culture and survival trades in the art of divination, especially tarot, palmistry, and tea leaf reading, and serves as a how-to guide. The Welcome to Romanistan festival is a joyful, inclusive, and intimate homage to our Romani ancestors, the Indian diaspora also known by the slur and misnomer Gypsies, whose bones and blood are forever bound to the roads our hearts traverse. We also honor and spotlight queer and trans Romani artists whose work seeks to serve a modern stewardship of our place within the diaspora. Romani art, culture, and music has been an enduring source of intrigue and influence throughout the world for centuries, yet few outsiders have truly seen what it means to be Roma. Now we’re officially inviting you to the party!  We will be donating 10% of festival proceeds to E-Romja in support of their work with Romani women and girls.

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ROMANI ROOTS & HISTORY:

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While the Roma originated in Northwest India (circa 10th century), the art, culture, and diaspora of the Romani people have a long untold history on Turtle Island (The United States.) Our diaspora reached the Americas by way of nearly 500 years of Romani enslavement in present-day Romania (1370s-1856); with the first Romani people arriving as early as the late 1490’s, enslaved by the first Spanish colonizers. Romani roots run deep in the land of Balbancha as well, with countless numbers of enslaved Roma arriving to the bayous and swamps of Louisiana during the 1700’s until our European emancipation in 1856. Roma continued to find refuge and hope in New Orleans throughout the civil unrest that followed our European emancipation. New Orleans became one of many sanctuaries for the Roma who were able to escape the Samudaripen, the mass murder of Sinti & Roma during what we know as The Holocaust Era (1935-1945.)  Roma continue to face persecution and exclusion worldwide, and our history is both bruised by diaspora and blessed in our resilient celebration of community and life. Although so much of our contributions to popular culture, music, art and even new age spirituality has been woefully ignored or intentionally erased, the brilliance of Romani ingenuity, culture and artistry can never be diminished. 

 

It is in this spirit that we bid you Welcome to Romanistan! 

 

A special thanks to our community for the work you’ve done to make Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling a reality. We also wish to extend our deepest gratitude to our generous sponsors for supporting this festival:

 

Weiser Books, Cottage Magick, Arbor House Floral & Fragrance, New Orleans Shrimp Boil Cabaret, and Krewe Du Costume

 

Our heartfelt thanks to Hotel Saint Peter & Paul, Mudlark Public Theater, Boxcar Gallery, Shrimp Boil Cabaret, The Vampire Apothecary & Cottage Magick for hosting our festivities! Finally, an extra special thanks to Wes Rose-Moon for designing the stunning poster art for our festival.