Romanians from Serbia in Denmark
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church <strong>in</strong> 1997, f<strong>in</strong>anced primarily by its communities abroad. The<br />
construction, which started <strong>in</strong> 1987, could be seen both as acontribution by<br />
the diaspora to the revitalis<strong>in</strong>g of old religious traditions and as political<br />
support for the Serb Orthodox revivalist campaign encouraged by the<br />
Milosevic regime (see Juul and Nielsen 2007).<br />
At present, many Vlachs also display their religious affiliation openly <strong>in</strong><br />
<strong>Denmark</strong>, for example, by wear<strong>in</strong>g large Orthodox crosses or religious<br />
bracelets. However, go<strong>in</strong>g public with your religious affiliation is not<br />
without itscontradictions. Although a Serb Orthodox congregation exists <strong>in</strong><br />
Copenhagen, only a few Vlachs are affiliated toit. The great majority f<strong>in</strong>d<br />
the church unwill<strong>in</strong>g to deal with the Vlach variant of Orthodox<br />
Christianity, whichis regarded as <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g too much superstition. 11 Most<br />
ceremonies therefore cont<strong>in</strong>ue to be performed <strong>in</strong> the villages of orig<strong>in</strong>,<br />
where the priests are less reluctant to converge with theVlach ancestor cult.<br />
With this controversy <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d, it was somewhat surpris<strong>in</strong>g to f<strong>in</strong>d that a<br />
grow<strong>in</strong>g number of Vlach children now opt for Lutheran confirmation, a<br />
ceremony which has no equivalent <strong>in</strong> the Serb Orthodox Church. Vlach<br />
wedd<strong>in</strong>gs held <strong>in</strong>Danish churches accord<strong>in</strong>g to the Lutheran liturgy are also<br />
ga<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> popularity. Yet fitt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> with the DanishChurch does not imply<br />
abandon<strong>in</strong>g the Serb Orthodox Church. Rather, it is an act where sameness<br />
<strong>in</strong> terms ofChristianity is valued over difference embodied <strong>in</strong> the official<br />
Serb Orthodox Church. Lack<strong>in</strong>g other public rituals or symbols of<br />
<strong>in</strong>tegration, these ceremonies—celebrated with pomp and circumstance—<br />
serve as yet anothermanifestation of sameness and successful <strong>in</strong>tegration.<br />
This promulgation of visibility and Danishness <strong>in</strong> what has hitherto been<br />
perceived as a wholly Vlach doma<strong>in</strong> dom<strong>in</strong>ated by older women act<strong>in</strong>g as<br />
the custodians of the Vlachtradition is a significant topic deserv<strong>in</strong>g greater<br />
attention <strong>in</strong> the future.<br />
The need to perform such public acts of convergence may have <strong>in</strong>creased<br />
as a consequence of the difficult transformation <strong>from</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g Yugoslavs to<br />
becom<strong>in</strong>g Serbs. For many migrants, the eradication of Yugoslavia as a<br />
state <strong>in</strong>volved important modifications of their status <strong>in</strong> Danish society, as<br />
wellas their previous loyalties towards nation and homeland. At present it<br />
is difficult to obta<strong>in</strong> a precise picture of how loyalties towards the<br />
nationalistic project of a Greater <strong>Serbia</strong> have developed with<strong>in</strong> the Danish