“LUCKY CHARMS” IN THE TRADITIONAL KALDERASH ROMA CULTURE

The paper discusses beliefs regarding luck and lucky charms among the Kalderash Roms (the moldováj a subdivision) of Russia. These beliefs are an integral part of rituals aimed at acquiring wealth and luck. Using the data collected during the last ten years in the Kalderash settlements, an in-detail analysis of luck mascots made out of bats, “wormy” frogs, snakeskin, beehives, ant “oil”, and a sort of “mash” recieved from a mythological character “mam‘orry” is presented. Such lucky charms can be recieved only be a knowledgeable person who is able to understand that the found object can bring luck and is not afraid to take it. Making of such mascots can be accompanied by a six week testing period —  a person who found a lucky object cannot tell anyone about it and oft en expreinces various problems. Only aft er this period, the person acquires luck. The lucky charms are oft en made using gold, breath or fl our, and wax. The charms are usually kept near savings (traditionally gold or golden jewelry) or more rarely behind the icons. The acquired luck manifests itself in growing income of the male members of the family (even in cases when the lucky charm was found and made by a woman). A complex of beliefs and rituals regarding luck which appear among Kalderash Roma have parallels in Romanian and Slavic traditional folk culture, however exact same rituals were not found. The paper also contains narratives describing beliefs about luck and lucky charms, as well as mythological and everyday narratives and commentaries to them in Romani and Russian.