Hungary’s ‘last’ Roma fortuneteller preserves traditions

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

SOLTVADKERT, Hungary (AP) — Zoltan Sztojka, by his own account Hungary’s last Roma fortuneteller, is working to preserve his culture’s traditions that are slowly vanishing in the Central European country. He is a member of Hungary’s large Roma minority, and says his family has been practicing fortunetelling for more than four centuries. But that tradition, like many others among the Roma, is dying out as the group becomes more assimilated into Hungarian society. Sztojka dresses in colorful traditional clothing and wears a long moustache as his ancestors did. He and his family also speak the Romani language, which has become increasingly rare. By practicing the centuries-old tradition of fortunetelling, he says he is helping his fellow human beings and preserving Roma culture.