Rites of passage in the Roma communities from the Prahova district

Project facts

Project promoter:
Prahova County Natural Sciences Museum
Project Number:
RO13-0076
Target groups
Roma
Status:
Completed
Initial project cost:
€10,831
Final project cost:
€9,927
From EEA Grants:
€ 8,438
The project is carried out in:
Sud - Muntenia

Description

The project answers to a need identified within the rural communities of the Roma population in the Prahova district. The need is for communities to preserve their cultural identity by keeping traditions and making them known. The project objective is to increase documented information about the rites of passage, behavioral customs and elements of material culture in the Roma communities in the localities of Bălţeşti, Diţeşti and Izvoare in the Prahova district. The project also aims to increase cultural print productions such as catalogues and images of the rites of passage, behavioral customs and elements of material culture in the communities of Roma people in the localities Bălţeşti, Diţeşti and Izoare in the Prahova district. The project will also promote cultural anthropology studies on the rites of passage, behavioral customs and elements of material culture in the Roma communities in the localities Bălţeşti, Diţeşti and Izvoare from the Prahova district. Finally, the project will support itinerant exhibition/presentations of the rites of passage, behavioral customs and elements of material culture within the Roma communities in the localities of Bălţeşti, Diţeşti and Izvoare in the Prahova district.

Summary of project results

The project answers to a need identified within the rural communities of Roma population from the Prahova district that is, to preserve their own cultural identity, by keeping traditions and making them known. The rites of passage, the behavioral customs and the elements belonging to the material culture that have been investigated comprise the cultural richness of this ethnic community, the mental and social structures of this community, with a unique sequentiality and functionality. The birth, puberty and death as natural phenomena and marriage, as social phenomenon, have a cultural dimension. ”Unity in Diversity by Tradition” is the slogan of this project. The fulfillment of the objectives of the project brings benefits to the communities of Roma people and implicitly to the society as a whole, by increasing human and social capital, by the growth of empowerment and the community development. The project was implemented in the Roma people communities from the following localities from the Prahova district, so: Balţeşti, community with approx. 600 persons; Diţeşti, community with approx. 500 persons; Izvoare, community with approx. 100 persons; The deliverables are the following:1 document with the documented information from the field research about the rites of passage, behavioral customs and elements of material culture in the communities of Roma population from the localities mentioned above;1 catalogue (in 10 printed copies) in images about the rites of passage, the behavioral customs and elements of material culture of the Roma communities from these localities; -1 study (in 10 printed copies) from the perspective of cultural anthropology about the rites of passage, the behavioral customs and elements of material culture of the Roma communities from the specified localities; 1 itinerant exhibition ( with 2 presentations in the localities Tg. Mureş and Constanţa) about the rites of passage, the behavioral customs and the elements of material culture of the Roma communities from the localities mentioned above. By implementing this project were obtained the valuable documents about rites of passage, the behavioral customs and the elements of material culture of the Roma communities from the foregoing localities. The project results contributed to preserve the cultural memory of the Roma communities from Prahova district. The members of these Roma communities are aware of the identity value of these traditions.

Summary of bilateral results