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April 8 is International Romani Day.

From google:

"The 8th April marks International Romani Day. The annual celebration is a
great occasion to celebrate Romani culture but also highlight the struggles
that Romani people face daily due to prejudices from other communities around
the world.”

Do Romani in the European Union have EU passports?

I am not Romani, though my paternal grandmother was a Boland
which traces back to the Italian Bolanda who I think were Romani.

But it is significant to me for the following reasons:

1. I thought I heard my name (David) at the closing of the
movie Latcho Drom,

2. From https://www.nfld.com/~dalton/stsarah.html , which
describes an incident at New Year’s and new moon at the
beginning of 1995:

"But wow! Along the beach, in a cluster, someone had left a group of large
burning candles, I presume to await the rising tide of new year and new moon.
This was beautiful. Only later did I relate this to the St. Sara candle scene
in the movie Latcho Drom, but it might not have been Romany people who placed
them (lots of Greek in the area, including Sophia next door to me). But then
I did something that was well-intended but perhaps a breach of the ritual. I
spontaneously took my right thumb, the usual book thumb one, and dipped it
quickly in one of the shorter darker (?) candles, taking care not to disturb
the flame. I then walked on, and saw a rock on the beach with a slight dimple
on it, and pressed my thumb into it. This could have represented renewal of
the third stone from the sun, I later guessed, but at the time was
spontaneous, it could be for renewal of the third nipple (clit) of Kali Sara.
I later (months later) could not find the stone again.”

3. From https://www.nfld.com/~dalton/rat.html , which describes
incidents early in 1996, this one on the morning of January 29:

"In late January, waxing moon, I had a 3-day period of racing thoughts, a
shaky period that I waited out at home, thinking that somehow the world was
being tuned up. During that period I also strung my nieces' guitar upside
down, tuned it to some tuning, and in the morning played a Rom-sounding
partial tune (and I can't play). This was supposed to tune up the world.”

That morning marked the beginning of my low/working/wilderness years,
which I had expected to end by January 29 of this year, which was
the common seven years plus two eleven year sunspot cycles after
they started. However this did not occur and I am still waiting,
but perhaps they will end by the coming full moon, and still
round down to 29 years.

For further background see my Salmon on the Thorns web page,
though that is not quite up to date. For recent and ongoing
progress see alt.religion.druid .

Of interest to Romani, there is a local Newfoundland
band The Hot Club of Conception Bay which is led by guitarist
Duane Andrews.

April 8 is also celebrated as Buddha’s birthday in Japan and
some other locations, though most Buddhists celebrate it
at Vesak on the full moon of May.

--
https://www.nfld.com/~dalton/dtales.html Salmon on the Thorns (mystic page)
"This could be the final breath; This is life and death;
This is hard rock and water; Out here between wind and flame;
Between tears and elation; Lies a secret nation" (Ron Hynes)