Religion of the gypsy people. A.V. Chernykh. Ethnic history of the gypsies. It is considered impolite for a woman to pass in front of a man if it is possible to go around him from behind, and to stand with her back to a man if he is sitting.

- Bohemiens("Bohemians", "Czechs"), Gitans(corrupted spanish Gitanos) or Tsiganes(borrowing from Greek - τσιγγάνοι, qingani), Germans - Zigeuner, Italians - Zingari, Dutch - Zigeuners, Hungarians - Cigany or faraok nepe("Pharaoh's tribe"), Georgians - ბოშები (boshebi), Finns - mustalaiset("black"), Kazakhs - sygandar, Lezgins - karachiyar("hypocrites, pretenders"); Basques - Ijitoak; Albanians - Jevgjit("Egyptians"); Jews - צוענים (tso'anim), from the name of the biblical province of Tsoan in ancient Egypt; Persians - کولی (if); Lithuanians - Čigonai; Bulgarians - Tsigani; Estonians - "mustlased" (from "Must" - black). At present, ethnonyms from the self-name of a part of the gypsies, "Roma" (eng. Roma, Czech Romové, Fin. romanite, etc.).

Thus, in the "external" by origin names of the gypsy population, three prevail:

• reflecting the early idea of ​​them as coming from Egypt;
• distorted versions of the Byzantine nickname "atsinganos" (meaning "fortunetellers, magicians");
• designations for "blackness" distinguishing feature appearances made in different languages ​​(which is typical, one of the self-names of gypsies is also translated as "black")

Gypsies live in many countries in Europe, as well as in North Africa, the Americas and Australia. Groups related to European gypsies also live in the countries of Western Asia. According to various estimates, the number of European gypsies ranges from 8 million to 10-12 million people. In the USSR, there were officially 175.3 thousand people ( census). In Russia, according to the 2010 census, there are about 220,000 Roma.

National symbols

In honor of the first World Roma Congress, April 8 is considered Gypsy day. Some gypsies have a custom associated with it: in the evening, at a certain time, to carry a lit candle down the street.

History of the people

Indian period

The most common self-name of the gypsies, which they brought from India, is “rum” or “roma” among the European gypsies, “home” among the gypsies of the Middle East and Asia Minor. All these names go back to the Indo-Aryan "d'om" with the first cerebral sound. Cerebral sound, relatively speaking, is a cross between the sounds "p", "d" and "l". According to linguistic studies, the Roma of Europe and the Dom and Lom of Asia and the Caucasus were the three main "flows" of migrants from India. Under the name d'om, low-caste groups appear in various areas of modern India today. Despite the fact that the modern houses of India are difficult to directly correlate with the gypsies, their name has a direct bearing on them. The difficulty is to understand what was the connection in the past between the ancestors of the Gypsies and the Indian houses. The results of linguistic research conducted back in the 20s. XX century by a major Indologist-linguist R. L. Turner, and which are shared by modern scientists, in particular, romologists J. Matras and J. Hancock, show that the ancestors of the gypsies lived in central regions India and a few centuries before the exodus (approximately in the III century BC) migrated to the Northern Punjab.

As for the so-called Central Asian gypsies, or lyuli, they, as they are sometimes figuratively said, are cousins ​​or even second cousins ​​​​of European gypsies. Thus, the Central Asian gypsy population, having absorbed various flows of migrants from the Punjab (including the Baloch groups) over the centuries, has historically been heterogeneous (see, for example, an early description of the Central Asian gypsies: Vilkins A. I. Central Asian bohemia // Anthropological exhibition T. III. M., 1878-1882).

In the book "History of the Gypsies. A new look ”(N. Bessonov, N. Demeter) examples of anti-Gypsy laws are given:

Sweden. A 1637 law mandates the hanging of male Gypsies. Mainz. 1714. Death to all gypsies captured within the state. Flogging and branding with a red-hot iron of women and children. England. According to the law of 1554 the death penalty for men. According to an additional decree of Elizabeth I, the law was tightened. From now on, execution awaited "those who lead or will lead friendship or acquaintance with the Egyptians." Already in 1577, seven Englishmen and one Englishwoman fell under this decree. All of them were hanged in Aylesbury. Historian Scott McPhee lists 148 laws adopted in the German states from the 15th to the 18th centuries. All of them were approximately the same, the diversity is manifested only in the details. So, in Moravia, the gypsies cut off the left ear, in Bohemia, the right. In the Archduchy of Austria, they preferred to stigmatize and so on. Perhaps the most cruel was Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia. In 1725, he ordered that all male and female gypsies over eighteen years of age be put to death.

Picture from a French entertainment magazine depicting gypsies cooking human meat

As a result of the persecution, the gypsies of Western Europe, firstly, were heavily criminalized, because they did not have the opportunity to legally earn their living, and secondly, they were practically culturally conserved (until now, the gypsies of Western Europe are considered the most distrustful and committed to literally following the old traditions). They also had to lead a special way of life: moving around at night, hiding in forests and caves, which increased the suspicion of the population, and also gave rise to rumors about cannibalism, satanism, vampirism and werewolf gypsies, the consequence of these rumors was the emergence of myths associated with them about kidnapping and especially children (for eating or for satanic rites) and about the ability to evil spells.

Some of the Gypsies managed to avoid repression by enlisting in the army as soldiers or servants (blacksmiths, saddlers, grooms, etc.) in those countries where soldiers were actively recruited (Sweden, Germany). Their families were thus also taken out from under the blow. The ancestors of Russian Gypsies came to Russia through Poland from Germany, where they mainly served in the army or with the army, so at first they had a nickname among other Gypsies, translated roughly as “army Gypsies”.

The abolition of anti-gypsy laws coincides in time with the beginning of the industrial revolution and Europe's exit from the economic crisis. After the abolition of these laws, the process of integration of the Roma into European society began. So, during the 19th century, gypsies in France, according to Jean-Pierre Lejoie, author of the article "Bohemiens et pouvoirs publics en France du XV-e au XIX-e siecle", mastered professions due to which they were recognized and even began to be appreciated: they they sheared sheep, weaved baskets, traded, were hired as day laborers in seasonal agricultural work, were dancers and musicians.

However, by that time, anti-Gypsy myths were already firmly rooted in the European consciousness. Now their traces can be seen in fiction, linking gypsies with a passion for kidnapping (whose goals are becoming less and less clear over time), werewolves and serving vampires.

The abolition of antigypsy laws by that time did not occur in all European countries. So, in Poland on November 3, 1849, a decision was made to arrest nomadic gypsies. For each detained gypsy, the policemen were paid bonus amounts. As a result, the police seized not only nomadic, but also settled gypsies, recording the detainees as vagrants, and children as adults (in order to get more money). After the Polish uprising of 1863, this law lost its force.

It can also be noted that, starting with the abolition of anti-gypsy laws, among the gypsies, individuals who were gifted in certain areas began to appear, stand out and receive recognition in non-gypsy society, which is another evidence of the situation that has developed more or less favorable for gypsies. So, in Great Britain in the 19th and early 20th centuries, these are preacher Rodney Smith, football player Rayby Howell, radio journalist and writer George Bramwell Evens; in Spain, the Franciscan Ceferino Jimenez Mallya, tokaor Ramon Montoya Salazar Sr.; in France, the jazzmen brothers Ferre and Django Reinhardt; in Germany - boxer Johann Trollmann.

Gypsies in Eastern Europe (XV - early XX century)

Gypsy migration to Europe

At the beginning of the 15th century, a significant part of the Byzantine gypsies led a semi-sedentary lifestyle. Gypsies were known not only in the Greek regions of Byzantium, but also in Serbia, Albania, the lands of modern Romania (see slavery in Romania) and Hungary. They settled in villages or urban settlements, gathering compactly according to the signs of kinship and profession. The main crafts were working with iron and precious metals, carving household items from wood, weaving baskets. Nomadic gypsies also lived in these areas, who were also engaged in crafts or circus performances using trained bears.

The sons and heirs of the deceased serdar Nikolai Niko, in Bucharest, are selling 200 families of gypsies. Men for the most part locksmiths, goldsmiths, shoemakers, musicians and farmers.

Monastery of St. Elijah put up for sale the first lot of gypsy slaves, May 8, 1852, consisting of 18 men, 10 boys, 7 women and 3 girls: in excellent condition.

Gypsies in Europe and the USSR / Russia (the second half of the 20th - the beginning of the 21st century)

In contemporary Eastern Europe, less commonly in Western Europe, Romani people are often the object of discrimination in society, especially by right-wing extremist parties, in 2009 attacks on Romanian Romani people were reported in Northern Ireland

At the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century, Europe and Russia were swept by a wave of gypsy migrations. Impoverished or marginalized Roma from Romania, western Ukraine and former Yugoslavia - former socialist countries that experienced economic and social difficulties after the collapse of the USSR - went to work in the European Union and Russia. Nowadays, they can be seen literally at any crossroads of the world, the women of these gypsies have massively returned to the old traditional occupation - begging, drug trafficking and petty theft are also common.

In Russia, there is also a slower but noticeable impoverishment, marginalization and criminalization of the Roma population. The average educational level has decreased. The problem of drug use by teenagers has become acute. Quite often, gypsies began to be mentioned in the criminal chronicle in connection with drug trafficking and fraud. The popularity of gypsy musical art has noticeably decreased. At the same time, the gypsy press and gypsy literature were revived.

In Europe and Russia, there is an active cultural borrowing between gypsies of different nationalities, a common gypsy music and dance culture is emerging, which is strongly influenced by the culture of Russian gypsies.

Gypsies outside Europe

Gypsies in Israel

• Gypsy house. There is a Romani community in Israel and neighboring countries known as the Dom people. By religion, the house is Muslim, they speak one of the dialects of the gypsy language (the so-called Domari language). Until 1948 in ancient city Jaffa, near Tel Aviv, there was an Arabic-speaking Dom community whose members took part in street theater and circus performances. They became the subject of the play "Gypsies of Jaffa" (Hebrew הצוענים של יפו ‎), the last to be written by Nissim Aloni, a famous Israeli playwright. The play has come to be considered a classic of Israeli theatre. Like many Jaffa Arabs, most members of this community left the city at the call of neighboring Arab countries. The descendants of the community, as suggested [ who?], now live in the Gaza Strip, and it is not known to what extent they still maintain a separate Domari identity. Another Dom community is known to exist in East Jerusalem, whose members hold Jordanian citizenship; in Israel have the status of permanent residents, the nationality is defined as "Arabs". In total, the community home in Israel has about two hundred families, most of them from the Bab al-Khuta area, which is in East Jerusalem near the Lion's Gate. Members of the community live in very poor conditions: most of them are unemployed and subsist only on Israeli social security benefits, they have no education, and some of them can neither read nor write. Domari have a high birth rate, they marry at an early age and only to members of their community, including relatives (in an effort to avoid assimilation and dissolution), so some of the children suffer from hereditary diseases, defects or are disabled. In October 1999, Amun Slim founded non-profit organization"Domari: Society of Gypsies in Jerusalem" to protect the name of the community. ,

In October 2012, the mayor of the capital, Nir Barkat, was approached by the mayor of the capital, Nir Barkat, with a request for assistance in obtaining Israeli citizenship for his compatriots. According to him, the gypsies are much closer in their views to the Jews than to the Arabs: they love Israel, and their children would like to serve in the IDF. According to the leader of the community, the Israeli Gypsies have practically forgotten their language and speak Arabic, while the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs consider the Gypsies to be "second-class" people.

Gypsies in North Africa

North Africa is home to the Kale Gypsies, also known as the Andalusian Gypsies, and Dom. Film director Tony Gatlif is a Kale from Algeria. The Calais of North Africa are nicknamed “Moors” in the gypsy world and often use it themselves (for example, both Tony Gatlif and Joaquin Cortez, whose father is from North Africa, call themselves “Moor” or “half-Moor”).

Gypsies in Canada and the USA

Gypsies in Latin America

The first documented mention of the presence of gypsies (kale) in Latin America (in the Caribbean) dates back to 1539. The first gypsies were exiled there against their will, but later the Spanish Calais and Portuguese Calons (groups related to each other) in small groups began to move to Latin America in search of a better life.

The largest wave of European Gypsy migration to Latin America occurred in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The most noticeable part of the settlers were kelderars, among the rest of the gypsies, one can mention the Lovars, Ludars, as well as groups of Balkan gypsies, collectively known as horakhane. They continued to move to America and Calais and Calons.

Among all the gypsies in Latin America, it is very popular to run a small business selling cars.

Gypsies in the Caucasus

Gypsies in different countries are characterized by uneven development of areas of high culture. So, most of the gypsy artists are natives of Hungary, the most developed musical culture among the gypsies of Russia, Hungary, Romania, Spain, the Balkan countries, gypsy literature on this moment more developed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine and Russia, acting - in Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia. Circus art - in the countries of South America.

With all the diversity of gypsy culture among different ethnic groups, one can note a similar system of values ​​and perception of the world.

Gypsy "big" ethnic groups

There are six main branches of the Gypsies. Three Western:

• Roma, main area of ​​residence - countries former USSR, Western and Eastern Europe. These include Russian gypsies (self-name Ruska Roma).
• Sinti, living mainly in the German-speaking and French-speaking countries of Europe.
• Iberian (gypsies), living mainly in Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries.

And three eastern ones:

• Lyuli, the main territory of residence is Central Asia, Pakistan, Afghanistan.
• Scrap (known mainly as bosha or posha) living in the Caucasus and northern Turkey.
• House living in Arabic-speaking countries and Israel.

There are also "small" gypsy groups that are difficult to attribute to any particular branch of gypsies, such as the British Kale and Romanichels, Scandinavian Kale, Balkan Horakhane, Arkhangelsk gypsies.

In Europe, there are a number of ethnic groups that are similar in lifestyle to the Gypsies, but of a different origin - in particular, Irish Travelers, Central European Yenish. Local authorities tend to view them as a variety of gypsies, and not as separate ethnic groups.

The image of gypsies in world art culture

Gypsies in world literature

• Notre Dame Cathedral - novel by V. Hugo France
• Ice House - novel by A. Lazhechnikov Russia
• Living corpse - a play by L. N. Tolstoy Russia
• The Enchanted Wanderer - a novel by Nikolai Leskov Russia
• Olesya - story, Alexander Kuprin Russia
• Pharaoh's tribe - essay, Alexander Kuprin Russia
• Cactus - story by Afanasy Fet Russia
• Nedopyuskin and Chertop-hanov - I. Turgenev Russia
• Carmen - novel by Prosper Merimee France
• Stars of Eger - a novel by Geza Gordoni Hungary
• Makar Chudra, Old Woman Izergil - short stories by M. Gorky Russia
• Gypsy Aza - play by A. Staritsky Ukraine
• Gypsy Girl - M. Cervantes Spain
• Gypsy Romancero - a collection of poems by Federico Garcia Lorca Spain
• Pipe - a story by Yuri Nagibin USSR
• Gypsy - story, novel Anatoly Kalinin USSR
• The Gypsy Lady - a novel by Sh.Busby USA
• Losing Weight - a novel by S. King USA

Many famous poets also dedicated cycles of poems and individual works to the gypsy theme: G. Derzhavin, A. Apukhtin, A. Blok, Apollon Grigoriev, N. M. Yazykov, E. Asadov and many others.

Songs about gypsies

• Slavich Moroz: "Gypsy love" ( Video , video)
• Vysotsky: “A gypsy with cards is a long road ..” ( Video)
• "Fortuneteller" - a song from the movie "Ah, vaudeville, vaudeville ..."
• "Gypsy Choir" - Alla Pugacheva
• "Boots" - Lidia Ruslanova
• "Gypsy wedding" - Tamara Gverdtsiteli ( Video)
• "Shaggy Bumblebee" - a song from the movie "Cruel Romance" on the verses of R. Kipling
• "The Gipsy" and "A Gipsy's Kiss" - Deep Purple
• "Gypsy" - Mercyful Fate
• "Hijo de la luna" - Mecano
• "Gypsy" - Black Sabbath
• "Gypsy" - Dio
• "Cry Of The Gypsy" - Dokken
• "Zigeunerpack" - Landser
• "Gypsy In Me" - Stratovarius
• "Gitano Soy" - Gipsy Kings
• "Ocean Gypsy" - Blackmore's Night
• "Electro Gypsy" - Savlonic
• "Gypsy/Gitana" - Shakira
• "Gypsy" - Uriah Heep
• "Gypsy Boots" - Aerosmith
• "Gypsy Road" - Cinderella
• "Gypsy Nazi" - S.E.X. Department
• "Gypsy" - Ektomorph
• "Cigany" - Ektomorph
• "Gipsy King" - Patrick Wolf
• "Hometown Gypsy" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• "Gypsy Blues" - Night Snipers
• "The camp goes to the sky" - Calvados

Films about gypsies

• "Guardian Angel", Yugoslavia (1986), director Goran Paskalevich
• "Run, gypsy!"
• "Snatch" directed by Guy Ritchie
• "Time of the Gypsies", Yugoslavia, director Emir Kusturica
• "Gadjo (film)", 1992, Director: Dmitry Svetozarov Russia
• "Sinful Apostles of Love" (1995), director Dufunya Vishnevsky Russia
• "Drama in the camp of gypsies near Moscow" - Khanzhonkov's workshop 1908, director Vladimir Siversen Russia
• Yesenia, (Spanish Yesenia; Mexico, 1971) director Alfred B. Crevenna
• "Hare over the abyss" 2006, director Tigran Keosayan Russia
• "Carmelita" 2005, directors Rauf Kubaev, Yuri Popovich Russia
• "Cassandra", Genre: Series, melodrama Production: Venezuela, R.C.T.V. Released: 1992 Screenplay: Delia Fiallo
• "King of the Gypsies" - director Frank Pearson (1978) USA
• "Lautari", directed by Emil Loteanu USSR
• "The Last Camp", (1935) Directors: Evgeny Shneider, Moses Goldblat, USSR
• " On my own"(gypsy Korkoro, 2009) - drama film, directed by Tony Gatlif.
• "Feathers", 1967, Yugoslavia, (Serb. Skupljaci perja), director Alexander Petrovich
• Strange Stranger (1997) Gadjo Dilo Gadjo dilo, directed by Tony Gatlif
• "The camp goes to the sky", director Emil Loteanu USSR
• "Difficult Happiness" - Directed by Alexander Stolper. 1958

Gypsies, one of the most mysterious nations living in Russia. Someone is afraid of them, someone admires their cheerful songs and perky dances. As for the origin of this people, there are a variety of versions on this score.

Version one: Indian

The most amazing thing is that the gypsies are one of the few peoples in the world who do not officially have their own country. In 2000, they were legally recognized as a non-territorial nation. For the past one and a half millennia, they roam around the world. The most paradoxical thing is that it is still not known exactly how many representatives of this ethnic group live on the planet. As a rule, the figure of 11 million is given, but it is often questioned. There is a legend according to which the gypsies arose on Earth in a magical way. That is why they seem to have an innate ability to divination and divination. Modern scientists, of course, cannot be satisfied with such a theory. According to them, the gypsies originated in India, from where they emigrated to Asia Minor in the 5th century. It is assumed that the reason that prompted them to leave this country was the spread of Islam. As a freedom-loving nation, the gypsies categorically did not want to fall under the pressure of any religious dogmas.

Version two: philistine

Unfortunately, leaving India, the gypsies did not find a new homeland in European countries. From the 14th to the 19th centuries, they were openly feared and not loved. Their way of life, very different from the European one, caused a sharp rejection. A number of discriminatory laws against Roma have appeared in European countries, including a ban on their residence in a particular state. A lot of philistine fables were also born, many of which told about the origin of the gypsies. Since this people did not have written sources describing its history, guesses about its arrival in Europe were one more incredible than the other. European townspeople assured each other that the gypsies were the remnants of the people of Atlantis, the ancient Egyptians or German Jews. It is noteworthy that the Egyptian version had indirect confirmation. The fact is that on the way from India, the gypsies really visited Egypt. According to some reports, their ability for magic and astrology was inherited by them from the Egyptian priests. This hypothesis turned out to be so popular that in Hungary the gypsies began to be called nothing more than “Pharaonic people”, and in England - Egyptians. The most interesting thing is that the gypsies not only did not refute such fictions, but also supported them. meeting negative attitude to themselves in the countries of Europe, they, as a protection, cast a mystical fog over themselves.

Version three: Athos

Today, scientists, based on the similarity of the language of the gypsies and a number of nationalities of India, quite accurately established the place of their origin. Nevertheless, a number of ancient authors called Asia the birthplace of this people. The famous scholar Henri de Spond claimed that the Gypsies descended from the medieval Atsingan sect. This theory arose from the first written record of the appearance of gypsies in Europe, dated 1100. Its authorship is attributed to George Mtatsmindeli, a monk of the Athos monastery. He connected the Gypsies with the Atsingan sect. Byzantine sources adhered to the same version, considering the Atsingans to be the remnants of the Manichaean sect, which disappeared in the 8th century. It is important to note that the Atsingans not only looked like gypsies, they also actively practiced magical rites.

Version four: Asian

The ancient historians Strabo and Herodotus connected the appearance of the Gypsies with the Near East Asian tribe of the Siggins. Indeed, linguists, studying the language of the gypsies, established the route of their settlement around the world. From India, the Gypsy tribes moved to the territory of Western Asia, mainly to Iran, Afghanistan and Armenia. Their next stopping point was Byzantium, from which the gypsies spread across the Balkan Peninsula. In the 15th century they came to Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A century later, Gypsy tribes could be found throughout Central, Western and Northern Europe. At the same time, it should be noted that the Gypsy tribes settled around the world are heterogeneous in composition. For one and a half millennia of wandering around the planet, they have absorbed such a huge number of representatives of other peoples that they have largely lost their historical national identity.

Gypsies are one of the most, perhaps, incomprehensible and mythologized peoples on our planet, and this has been the case for many centuries. There are rumors around the world that when gypsies come to town, they seduce men and women and then steal everything they see, including children. There are also many myths about cunning and mysterious gypsy fortune-tellers and gypsy camps. In any case, even if we put all the myths and misconceptions aside, the gypsies remain one of the most interesting ethnic groups in history.

1. Where did they come from

The origin of the gypsies is shrouded in mystery. Sometimes it seemed that they appeared on the planet in some mysterious way. This in itself may have evoked a sense of fear among the Europeans and contributed to an atmosphere of mystery around the Roma. Modern scholars suggest that the Gypsies originally migrated en masse from India in the fifth century.

This theory suggests that their flight was due to the spread of Islam, which the Roma were desperate to avoid in order to protect their religious freedom. This theory claims that the Gypsies migrated from India to Anatolia and further to Europe, where they split into three separate branches: Domari, Lomavren, and the Gypsies themselves. Another theory suggests that there were as many as three separate migrations over several centuries.

2. Gypsy nomadic lifestyle

Many stereotypes have been formed around the gypsies for a long time. Who does not know the phrase "gypsy soul" (which is applied to freedom-loving people). According to these stereotypes, gypsies prefer to live out of what is called the "mainstream" and eschew social norms in order to be able to lead a nomadic lifestyle teeming with fun and dancing. The truth is much darker.

For many centuries, the Roma were often forcibly expelled from the countries in which they lived. Such forced evictions continue to this day. Many historians have suggested that the true reason for the Gypsies' nomadic lifestyle is very simple: survival.

3. Gypsies have no homeland

Gypsies are people without a specific citizenship. Most countries refuse to grant them citizenship, even if they were born in that country. Centuries of persecution and their closed community have left the Gypsies with no homeland. In 2000, the Roma were officially declared a non-territorial nation. This lack of citizenship renders Roma legally "invisible".

Although they are not subject to the laws of any country, they cannot access education, health care and other social services. Moreover, the Roma cannot even obtain passports, which makes their travel very difficult or impossible.

4. Gypsy persecution.

It's worth starting with the fact that the gypsies were actually enslaved people in Europe, especially in the 14th - 19th centuries. They were traded and sold like a commodity, and they were considered "subhuman". In the 1700s, Maria Theresa, the Empress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, passed a law that outlawed the gypsies. This was done to force the Roma to integrate into society.

Similar laws have been passed in Spain, and many European countries have banned Roma from entering their territory. The Nazi regime also persecuted and exterminated Roma by the tens of thousands. Even today, gypsies are persecuted.

5. Nobody knows how many gypsies there are in the world

No one knows how many gypsies live all over the world today. Because of the discrimination Roma often face, many of them do not publicly register or identify as Roma. In addition, given their "legal invisibility", the birth of children without documents and frequent moves, many Roma are listed as missing.

Also problematic is that Roma are not provided with social services, which would help to paint a clearer picture of their numbers. However, The New York Times estimates the number of Roma worldwide at 11 million, a figure often disputed.

6. Gypsy is an offensive word

For many people, the term "gypsy" means nomad and is not considered a racial slur. But for the "Roma" themselves (or "Romals" - the self-name of the gypsies), this word has ominous overtones. For example, according to the Oxford Dictionary English word"gypped" (derived from "gypsie" - gypsies) means a criminally punishable act.

Roma, often referred to as gypsies, were considered losers and thieves, a word burned into their skin during the Nazi regime. Like many other racial slurs, the word "Gypsy" has been used for centuries to oppress the Roma.

7. Future, cheap...

There are many myths surrounding gypsies. One of these myths says that the gypsies have their own magic, which has been passed down for centuries from generation to generation. The myth is associated with tarot cards, crystal balls and fortune-telling tents, as well as other stereotypes. Literature is replete with references to the gypsy language and the magical arts of this people.

In addition, there are many films that show the curses of gypsies. Even in art, there are many paintings describing Roma as mystical and magical people. However, many scientists believe that all this magic is fiction, derived from the fact that people simply did not know anything about gypsies at all.

8. Lack of formal religion

European folklore often claims that the Roma made a temple out of cream cheese. Presumably, they ate it when a period of severe famine set in, so they were left without an official religion. As a rule, gypsies join the church that is the most common in the country in which they live. However, there are many traditional gypsy beliefs. Some scholars believe that there are many links between Roma beliefs and Hinduism.

9. Modesty

Although gypsy weddings are often accompanied by mass festivities and luxurious attire, one of their main life principles, modesty, is reflected in the everyday clothes of gypsies. Gypsy dances are most often associated with women's belly dancing. However, many gypsy women never performed what is commonly considered belly dancing today.

Instead, they perform traditional dances that use only their bellies for movement, not their hips, as hip movements are considered immodest. In addition, the long, flowing skirts commonly worn by gypsies serve to cover their legs, as exposing the legs is also considered immodest.

10. Gypsy contribution to world culture is huge

From the very beginning of their existence, the gypsies have been closely associated with singing, dancing and acting. They carried this tradition through the centuries, significantly influenced world art. Many gypsies assimilated into different cultures by influencing them. Many singers, actors, artists, etc. had gypsy roots.

Mysterious peoples on our planet lived in the past. For example, such as .

2. Gypsies consider tea to be their national soft drink. Various herbs and berries are added to black tea

3. From alcoholic drinks, gypsies prefer strong ones more. For men, vodka is preferable, for women - cognac. Grape wines are generally not consumed. It is considered honorable to drink a lot, but not to get drunk.

4. Young Roma are usually forbidden to drink alcohol in the presence of older people or are required to ask their permission

5. The cult of age among the gypsies is expressed not just by respect for the elderly, but by respect for the one who is older, in general. The opinion of older people is perceived as authoritative. It is considered a terrible crime to raise a hand against an old person, even if he is physically strong.

6. Many gypsies treat a young woman with disrespect until she gives birth to a child. But the status of the mother is surrounded by honor

7. Traditionally, gypsies smoke a lot. The first reason is mystical. According to ancient beliefs, fire and smoke scare away demons and the restless dead. So that they definitely do not get to a person, you need to smoke continuously. The second reason is aesthetic. It is believed that from smoking the voice becomes the right one for singing.

8. The most popular type of gypsy fairy tales is horror stories. The usual characters of such horror stories are the walking dead and ghouls, which seems to be an echo of the folklore of Indian ancestors, as well as small spirits like goblin and brownies.

9. Some gypsies believe that a person in the next world needs everything the same as in ordinary life. If a person dies, then, depending on his gender, 3 items are passed to relatives or friends through the coffin: an icon (a man died - a man, a woman - a woman), a bed and a carpet symbolizing the road

10. From jewelry, rings made of gold are popular with gypsies. The Eastern European representatives of this nation are in great fashion with sets of eight rings of approximately the same thickness, one ring for each finger of the hand, except for large ones, which necessarily differ in pattern

11. An earring in one ear of a gypsy means that he is the only son in the family.

12. It is considered impolite for a woman to pass in front of a man if it is possible to go around him from behind, and to stand with her back to a man if he is sitting.

13. Short hair among gypsies is a symbol of dishonor. Hair was cut off by the exiled and isolated. Until now, gypsies avoid very short haircuts.

14. Gypsies have "undesirable" professions, which are usually hidden in order not to "fall out" from their society. These are, for example, factory work, street cleaning and journalism.

15. Gypsies understand many simple phrases spoken in Hindi. That's why they love some Indian movies so much

16. It’s not customary for gypsies to speak out loud about love, you can’t touch a strange woman even in a dance

Each of you, more than once in your life had to meet with these people. In my childhood, post-war years, I happened to live for some time in the same village with the Gypsies. Those who lived with us did not cause any rejection or disgust in me. On the contrary, I learned a lot from the old people. I remember how I couldn’t manage to tame a young stallion in the herd, and what I didn’t do, and my grandfather, Gypsy, instantly took him, put on a bridle and brought the stallion to me. And not only the Gypsies taught me how to handle horses, but I guess I was just lucky in life. There were other meetings, but I don’t even want to remember them.
Gyga;ne (Roma) - one of the largest ethnic minorities in Europe, a layer of the ethnic population of common Indian origin. A common self-name is Roma, Roma, although other ethnonyms are also used: Sinti, Manush (“people”), Kale. As a generalized name at the human level for all European gypsies, the designation Roma (English Roms, Romanies) is used.
The origin of the name "Gypsies", as an exonym (that is, from the side of the surrounding population), is conditionally raised to the 11th century, approximately in 1100 AD, George Athos describes the events that took place in 1054. It was from this description that the opinion about the Egyptian origin of the Gypsies appeared. This is how it always turns out, someone put up a beautiful story, and everyone liked it, but in reality, it turned out that everything was completely wrong.
The British traditionally called the Gypsies Gypsies (from Egyptians - "Egyptians"), the Spaniards - Gitanos (also from Egiptanos - "Egyptians"), the French - Boh;miens ("Bohemians", "Czechs"), Gitans (distorted Spanish Gitanos) or Tsiganes (borrowing from Greek - ;;;;;;;;;, scurvy; ni), Germans - Zigeuner, Italians - Zingari, Dutch - Zigeuners, Hungarians - Cig; ny or F; ra; kn; pe ("Pharaoh's tribe ”), Finns - mustalaiset (“black”), Kazakhs - sy; Andar, Lezgins - karachiyar (“hypocrites, pretenders”); Basques - Ijitoak; Albanians - Jevgjit ("Egyptians"); Jews - ;;;;;; (tso'ani;m), from the name of the biblical province of Tsoan in Ancient Egypt; Persians - ;;;; (if;); Lithuanians - ;igonai; Bulgarians - Tsigani; Estonians - "mustlased" (from "Must" - black). At present, ethnonyms from the self-name of a part of the gypsies, “Roma;” are becoming more and more widespread in various languages.
Thus, in the "external" by origin names of the gypsy population, three prevail:
reflecting the early idea of ​​them as coming from Egypt;
distorted versions of the Byzantine nickname "atsinganos" (meaning "fortunetellers, magicians");
designations of "blackness" as a distinctive feature of appearance, made in different languages ​​(which is typical, one of the self-names of gypsies is also translated as "black")
According to various estimates, the number of European gypsies ranges from 8 million to 10-12 million people.
In the former USSR, there were officially 175.3 thousand people (1970 census).
In Russia, according to the 2010 census, there are about 220,000 Roma.
The most common self-name of the gypsies, which they brought from India, is “rum” or “roma” among the European gypsies, “home” among the gypsies of the Middle East and Asia Minor. All these names go back to the Indo-Aryan "d'om" with the first cerebral sound. Cerebral sound, relatively speaking, is a cross between the sounds "p", "d" and "l". According to linguistic studies, the Roma of Europe and the Dom and Lom of Asia and the Caucasus were the three main "flows" of migrants from India. Under the name d'om, low-caste groups appear in various areas of modern India today. Despite the fact that the modern houses of India are difficult to directly correlate with the gypsies, their name has a direct bearing on them. The difficulty is to understand what was the connection in the past between the ancestors of the Gypsies and the Indian houses. The results of linguistic studies conducted back in the 20s of the 20th century, and which are shared by modern scientists, show that the ancestors of the gypsies lived in the central regions of India and several centuries before the exodus (approximately in the 3rd century BC) migrated to Northern Punjab.
In the Indo-Aryan sources of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, which until now have not been considered as relevant to the genesis of the so-called "protoromes" in India, there are many connecting questions. A number of data indicate the settlement in the central and northwestern regions of India of a population with the self-name d'om / d'omba starting from the 5th-4th centuries BC. e. These populations were originally tribal groups of common origin, possibly related to Austroasiatics. Later, with the gradual development of the caste system, d'om / d'omba occupied the lower levels in the social hierarchy and began to be recognized as caste groups. At the same time, the integration of houses into the caste system took place primarily in the central parts of India, while the northwestern regions remained a “tribal” zone for a very long time. This tribal character of the areas of origin was maintained by constant contact with the Iranian nomadic tribes, whose resettlement in the period before the migration of the ancestors of the Gypsies from India assumed a massive character. These circumstances determined the nature of the culture of the peoples of the Indus Valley zone (including the ancestors of the Gypsies), a culture that for centuries retained its nomadic and semi-nomadic type. Also, the very ecology of Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, arid and infertile soils near the Indus River contributed to the development of a semi-pastoral, semi-commercial mobile business model for a number of groups of the local population. Some authors believe that during the period of the exodus, the ancestors of the Gypsies were a socially structured ethnic population of common origin (rather than a series of separate castes), engaged in trading transportation and trade in transport animals, and also, if necessary, as auxiliary occupations - a number of crafts and other services, which were part of everyday skills. The authors explain the cultural and anthropological difference between the Gypsies and the modern houses of India (having more pronounced non-Aryan features than the Gypsies) by the indicated strong Aryan influence (in particular, in its Iranian modification), characteristic of the northwestern regions of India, where the ancestors of the Gypsies lived before the exodus. . This interpretation of the ethno-social origin of the Indian ancestors of the Gypsies is supported by a number of foreign and Russian researchers.

Krymsky gypsies; not, also Krys; we, Tatars; rsky gypsies; not, Tatars, Ayuji (gypsy. Kyrymitika Roma, Crimean Sea) - a gypsy sub-ethnic group that is part of the "large" Roma group. Formed in the Crimean Khanate. Nowadays, he lives in many countries of the former USSR, including Russia. They speak their own dialect of the Romani language, with lexical borrowings from the Crimean Tatar and Russian languages.

In 1944, the Crimean Gypsies, as well as the Crimean Tatars, were deported to Central Asia, which was due to the fact that most of the Crimeas in Soviet passports were recorded as Tatars. However, already in 1948-1949 they began to appear again in the Crimea. Currently, most of the Crimeans live outside the Crimea - in Krasnodar Territory Russian Federation. The traditional occupation is petty trading, performing music, different kind handicrafts, jewelry, blacksmithing, fortune-telling, begging (still practiced. Gypsy orchestras traditionally served Tatar weddings. Nowadays, music and dances of Russian gypsies or modern ones) are also the most common occupation of the Crimean gypsies.
Sometimes the Crimean gypsies are also confused with the Crimean Gurbets (a separate gypsy Turkish-speaking subethnos, they are recorded as Crimean Tatars in the census).

European geneticists analyzed the gypsy genome and found that this people originated in northwestern India about 1.5 thousand years ago and entered Europe 900 years ago, according to an article published in the journal Current Biology.
"From the point of view of genetics, all gypsies are related to each other by two things - they come from northwestern India and their ancestors intermarried with representatives of other peoples during migrations across Europe.
Over 10 million people who identify themselves as Roma live in the European Union. Most of them live in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including Romania and Hungary. The ancestors of the Gypsies did not leave any monuments of written history behind them, which is why their historical homeland and the history of migrations remain unknown.
Scientists formed a group of 206 gypsy volunteers living in different countries of Western and Eastern Europe, collected DNA samples and deciphered their genomes.
Then the geneticists compared the genomes of the volunteers with each other and with the virtual DNA of five thousand gypsies and other peoples living outside Europe. This allowed them to identify about 800,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms - differences in one "letter"-nucleotide, which were later used as a "roulette wheel" to assess the genetic distance between peoples.
According to the calculations of geneticists, the most likely homeland of the gypsies are the territories of the modern states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Kashmir in northwestern India. It is here that several isolated peoples live, such as the Meghawals in Gujarat and the Pandits in Kashmir, whose genome is most similar to the gypsy DNA. the version about the Egyptian origin of this people is clearly erroneous.
According to scientists, shortly before entering Europe and some time after this event, the gypsies experienced two sharp population declines. This is evidenced by a fairly small number of differences between the genomes of different representatives of this people.
Comparing the differences in the structure of the genomes of European and non-European gypsies, scientists found that the first representatives of this people reached the borders of Europe about 900 years ago. As geneticists suggest, the gypsies first penetrated the Balkans, and only then spread throughout Western Europe.

Back in the early 70s, I read in the journal "Priroda" a large article about gypsies was published. And it was written there that the gypsies were one of the castes in India. For unacceptable behavior, they were expelled from India, which was the reason for their migration towards Europe. And at first they appeared in Spain, where they were met quite friendly, but quickly spoiled their attitude towards themselves with theft and deceit. The gypsies did not leave written sources about themselves, but their adventures are recorded in European sources. Perhaps the gentlemen of genetics only confirmed what has long been known. The article in the magazine was quite large.
The above remark adds to the delusion of Hitler's Nazism: * Hitler was 1/2 - 1/3 Jewish and hated Jews. * A fan of the "Aryan race", but the Aryans are exclusively Indo-Iranians and a little Slavs, who genetically have nothing to do with the Germans. Actually haplogroup Y-DNA of the German-Scandinavian peoples I is closest to the Semitic haplogroup J. * It turns out that Hitler - He hated the gypsies and loved the Indians, and this is one and the same people.
Before geneticists, their origin was not clear. For example, in European they are called Gipsy, from the word "Egypt", because they believed that they were the descendants of the ancient Egyptians - magicians, akin to those who came from ancient egypt Jews.
Another study of the last 10 years - linguistic, also proved that the language of the gypsies appeared about 1.5 thousand years ago in India. It was believed that these were the Dravidians - the indigenous pre-Aryan population of India, whom the Aryans, having captured India, made a lower caste. But if they come from the northwest of India, then they are Aryans, and not Dravidians? ...
The ancestors of the gypsies did not leave behind any monuments of written history, which is why their historical homeland and the history of migrations remain a mystery. "And in people's memory of them there is only the negative of tramps, thieves, murderers, deceivers.

E; niches (German Jenische, also self-name), "nomadic", "white gypsies" - an ethnographic and social group of heterogeneous origin, living in Central and Western Europe, mainly in the area around the Rhine (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Belgium). Historically, the Yenishi arose in the early 18th century as descendants of marginalized population groups (mostly German-speaking), although a number of researchers suggest that the Yenishi may be descended from a Germanic Celtic-speaking population. Only a small part of the Yenishes switched to a nomadic way of life.
Yenish speak a special Yenish slang, grammatically close to the Swiss dialects of German.
Apart from Switzerland, the Yenish are not recognized in any of the countries of Europe as a national minority.
During the Second World War, the Nazis persecuted the Yenish along with the Gypsies who were close to them in terms of their way of life. In modern Switzerland, the Yenishi are regarded by the authorities as one of the Gypsy groups. The Swiss Yenish actively interact with the Sinti Gypsies, while in other European countries the Yenish actively separate themselves from the Gypsies.

(Moldavian principality). Slavery in Romania, at that time a vassal Ottoman Empire, was legally prohibited only in February 1856, in fact, it disappeared only in the mid-1860s. At the same time, along with the slaves in the Romanian lands, there were Romanian serfs (known as tsarany, vechiny, serfs); and in Transylvania - "Romanians", Yobags, etc.) The basis of the local master class (boyars) was ethnic Romanians (in Wallachia and Moldavia), in Transylvania - ethnic Hungarians.
History
Despite all the difficulties of statistical accounting, as well as socio-political contradictions in the country, Romania is the largest and most famous region of the gypsy culture in the world. This circumstance is not accidental. Gypsies settled in medieval Romanian lands in unusually large numbers. They were undoubtedly attracted here by the great tolerance of the Romanesque population, which has been preserved here since antiquity. Indeed, compared with the Vlachs, who were also partially engaged in nomadic pastoralism, the later peoples who settled in the Balkans were much less tolerant of the nomadic lifestyle of the gypsies, their language and culture. Romanian gypsies currently number at least two million people. The first gypsies entered the Romanian lands in the 12th century from the south. Starting from the 13th century, the gypsies found themselves in the position of slaves of the local Romanian and Hungarian boyars. It was then that their gradual enslavement by the local Slavic-Roman elite began in a very peculiar form, reminiscent of slavery in Brazil. The first written mention of Romani slaves in Romania appeared on October 3, 1385. IN different time to put forward also hypotheses that the Mongols or the Turks, who brought them from Asia, supplied the Gypsies to Romania. After turning Romania into a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, the country became part of the Mediterranean slave trade with the Maghreb countries.
Gypsy estates
In Romania, the following professional classes of gypsies were formed:
kalderashi (literally. "copper craftsman"),
lautars ("musicians"),
boyashi or lingurars ("spoonmen")
ursars ("bears"),
fierars ("blacksmiths"), as well as "horses".
From the very beginning of the history of slavery in Romania, many slaves, as in Roman Dacia, worked in the salt and ore mines. Gypsy women who belonged to the boyars were servants, often concubines. Official marriages between Romanians and Gypsies were not encouraged, however, illegitimate children from such unions filled the streets of Romanian cities, exacerbating the problem of child homelessness, which continues to this day. This problem was acute in Brazil and other Latin American countries, which for a long time cultivated the institution of place.
After the abolition of slavery in the Danube Principalities, at least 250 thousand gypsies, or about 10% of the population of Wallachia, received freedom. In Russian Bessarabia in 1858, the census also counted 11,074 gypsy slaves. The release of the Roma did not improve their economic situation. As in Brazil, freed slaves did not receive land, which meant they were forced to join the ranks of the urban poor or modify the scope of their activities. For example, fierars combined shoeing with horse stealing.