Introduction to Sara la Kali, Saint of displaced people.
Sara la Kali is the patron saint of the Romani people. She is venerated primarily in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a town in the Camargue region of southern France, which is a significant pilgrimage site for the Roma community.
Her domain as a saint consists of displaced people, refugees, migrants, people who were/are oppressed & the Romani people. She is a symbol of hope for the oppressed.
According to her legend, Sara was a servant of the three Marys (mainly her mother, Mary Magdalene), who helped them (with the help of an angel) to arrive in France by a small boat, fleeing persecution of Christians after Jesus' death. She is also said to be Jesus' secret daughter, hidden from the patriarchy for her safety.
In one legend, Sara supported the Marys by begging while they were busy teaching Christianity to the locals. In another legend, when the Marys were still on their journey and caught in a storm at sea, Sara spread her cloak to save them.
Yet another legend has it that Sara was not a servant, but a Roma queen who already lived in the south of France and welcomed the arrival of the Marys and Christianity.
In another version, there were more people on the boat: Mary Salome, Lazarus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Jesus' followers, who set out to sea in the small boat with no oars, sails, food, or water.
This is where Sara comes in. In this version, Sara was a maid to Mary Jacob. As the small boat carrying her mistress drifted out to sea, Sara was deeply heartbroken, thinking she had been left behind in a land devastated by war & persecution. When Mary Jacob saw Sara distraught and crying, she threw her cloak over the waves. Sara grabbed it and was pulled into the boat with the others.
Where did she come from?: When the Romani people were persecuted and forced to convert to Christianity, they blended their indigenous Hindu beliefs with Christian practices, creating a form of syncretism. The romani at that time were mostly Shakta Hindus, and worshipped the goddess Kali-ma.
Since Kali-ma was so important to them, they transformed/disguised her as a Christian saint, and called her “Sara Kali”. Sara is a blending of different traditions, Kali-ma and the Black Madonnas/marys.
Another thing that traces back to her origin as a dharmic goddess is her halo, which is the dharmachakra (wheel of the law).
Sara shares traits with other Black Madonnas and dark, feminine divinities in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, etc. She is often called "black mother" (just like Kali-ma's name, which literally translates to that).
the Roma have been persecuted as unwelcome migrants from India, facing violence wherever they go. Despite this, their patron Saint Sara has provided hope and identity to the more than 12 million members of the Roma diaspora around the world.
Every year, thousands of Roma gather in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer to honor her with a procession and various rituals. In one of her rituals, She is immersed in the water just as the Hindu goddess Durga is every year in India. The Romani venerate her as their queen, but she is also a mother to all the local Catholics who feel a connection to her.
Sara Kali's personal veneration by the Romani brings cures of sickness, good luck, fertility, success in business ventures, and protection.
Other names/titles she goes by: Saint Sarah, Saint Kali, Sara E Kali, black mother, Mother of the Romani, secret child of Jesus, sati-Sara, Queen of the Romani, protector of the oppressed, brown sara, sara the black, Sarah the Egyptian
Ave Sara La Kali... mother of the Romani
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