Gypsies are a mysterious nomadic people. Their life and history are shrouded in many myths and prejudices, and their culture is original and is rooted in the distant past. Historians, culturologists, ethnologists and ordinary people are concerned about the question of where they came from, how they live and what kind of faith the gypsies have.
Gypsies - who are they?
Gypsies are one of the largest ethnic groups in Europe. Bulgarian ethnologists call it an intergroup ethnic formation. The essence of this definition lies in the peculiarities of the settlement of gypsies in different territories. The mosaic distribution of gypsies is associated with a huge variety of their varieties and distinctive features. Depending on the territory of residence, there are different ethnic self-names: Sinti, Manush - people, Kale - black, Roma (Romani) - a common political designation for all gypsies living in Europe.
Without a permanent habitat, the gypsies live in all corners of the planet except Antarctica.
Types of Gypsies
The division of Roma into ethnic groups occurs depending on the territorial location and occupation. Ethnologists distinguish three western and three eastern branches of the gypsies.
Western include:
- Roma is one of the mostnumerous groups. It includes gypsies occupying the territory of Europe.
- Sinti are German and French Gypsies.
- Iberians - Spaniards and Portuguese.
Eastern branch form:
- Lyuli are Central Asian Gypsies.
- Bosha - Gypsy peoples occupying the territories of Turkey and the Caucasus.
- Home - Arab peoples and those living in Israel.
There are small gypsy groups that are difficult to attribute to any particular offshoot. On the territory of Europe live ethnic groups that are close in culture, but not related to the Gypsies: Travelers from Ireland and Yenish from Central Europe.
Researchers of Romani culture talk about the possibility of dividing the Romani into groups, in accordance with the nature of their activities.
What is the religion of the Gypsies?
Gypsy culture is closely linked to religion. The religion of the Roma forms their traditions, customs and moral and ethical norms and, as a rule, depends on the territory of residence. The main religions to which the gypsies belong are Christianity and Islam. But to this day, features of Hinduism, Shaivism, animism, Zoroastrianism and magical elements have been preserved in official beliefs.
Researchers argue that the adoption of a particular religion was a way of self-defense. Settling in a particular region, the gypsies tried to at least outwardly correspond to the followers of the local religion, so as not to conflict with the indigenous population.
Regardless of what faith the gypsies of this or thatof another group, their mentality and beliefs that have developed over a long time of their existence, leave an imprint on following one or another moral norm.
The external adoption of an official religion gives the Gypsies the opportunity to pay tribute to their pagan and animistic idols. So, for example, the Central Asian gypsies had gods denoting the Sun. The faith of the gypsies in the west is based on the worship of the moon. The full moon was considered a holiday in which magical rituals and witchcraft rites were held. The faith of the gypsies in India is based on the worship of the phallus, the cult of Shiva and the goddess Kali is also widespread here.
Regardless of what religion the Gypsies belong to, they pay great attention to protection from evil spirits. A serious task is to protect the newborn from powerful demonic forces. After birth, he is sprinkled with s alt water and given a name that will only be pronounced at certain periods of his life. The rest of the time the worldly name is used.
Veneration of saints
Gypsy faith is based on the veneration of female religious images. Despite the dominant role of men in society, their main saint is a woman. No matter what faith the gypsies are, everyone honors the mythological image of St. Sarah. There are several legends associated with her. According to the first, she was the savior of the relatives of Mary Magdalene, during a terrible storm she saved them, finding the way to the shore by the stars. The second legend says that she was the first to receive the Holy Revelation from the saints who sailed past her camp.
Gypsies who believe in an afterlife try to protect themselves from meeting the deceased. So that nothing would hold the souls of the dead in this world, they burn all the belongings of the deceased and their homes. There are those who do not believe in life after death. Also, according to some ethnic groups, the soul can return to earth three times, once in 500 years. Serbian gypsies claim that after death a person lives the same life, but endlessly.
Spirits and vampires are denoted by the word "mullo". If a gypsy dies at the hands of a man, the mullo will find and hunt down the culprit. Slavic gypsies believe in werewolves. They are those who led a dissolute lifestyle or became a victim of a vampire.
Gypsy customs
The faith of the gypsies determines their customs. Russian Orthodox gypsies are devout and obligatory for them is the rite of baptism. In gypsy houses there is a "red corner", with icons. In Russia, gypsies celebrate Christmas and Easter, get married in a church for marriage. An important stage of a gypsy wedding is the recognition of the union by the community. This is the initial and most important stage of marriage. On Radonitsa, gypsies visit cemeteries, where they ask for alms. This tradition is considered good, as those who serve at this moment are doing a good deed, fulfilling a Christian duty.
Saint George is one of the most revered gypsy saints. Holidays in his honor are held in Turkey and the Balkans. Muslims also pay great attention to customs. However, women ignore the need to cover their faces, and men do not circumcise.
Myths and legends of gypsies
No matter what faith the gypsies belong to, there are common beliefs that determine their entire worldview. There is a biblical legend that a gypsy stole a nail that Roman legionnaires were supposed to drive into the head of the crucified Christ. For this, God blessed all the people and allowed them to steal. In reality, the tendency to steal is only a consequence of the historically established worldview of the gypsies.
They are convinced that everything created by God belongs to people and exists for the common good. So, fruits, animals and birds are God's gift, given to people for free use. Today, theft is the main way for Gypsies to earn money.
Raymond Buckland in his book “Gypsies. Secrets of Life and Tradition” tells about a real case when gypsy children baptized the same borrowed baby eight times in different churches, because at baptism the priest gave the child a coin. The lack of attachment to a certain territory is also perceived as a gift from God, the gypsies believe that the Almighty has given the whole world at their disposal.
Russian Gypsies. Roma customs and beliefs in Russia
According to official figures, 200,000 Roma live in Russia today. Their real number exceeds these figures by at least five times. This is due to the fact that during the census in the USSR, many indicated other nationalities.
"Russian Roma" have their own dialect - a mixture of Russian, Polish and German. Traditional occupations of Russian gypsies -horse breeding, music making, dancing, divination and circus. It was in Russia that the genre of gypsy romance was born.
Most Russian Gypsies are Christians. But what kind of faith the gypsies have in Russia is not important, the main general gypsy law for them. The smallest number of rules regulate relations with non-Roma: here it is necessary to adhere to the norms of behavior that are established in society. More important are the laws of communication with both Roma and non-Roma: the prohibition of murder, rape, and physical injury.
Respect for the guest is obligatory. The largest number of rules speaks of behavior within the gypsy community. The main thing is that no one has the right to ex alt himself over another. However, in every community there is an unspoken leader and intermediary responsible for communication with the outside world. Most often, this person is a gypsy baron.
Gypsy laws strictly regulate communication with each other, with elders, children and women, the procedure for holding holidays, the rules for choosing clothes and a list of "decent" activities. Worthy professions are those related to creativity, needlework, pottery and carpentry.
A significant part of Russian Gypsies today is connected with crime. Among them, as among other ethnic groups, there is theft, begging and drug trafficking. At the same time, there is another side of Romani society, which includes talented singers, musicians and actors. For example, in Russia there is a gypsy theater popular all over the world.
Influence onculture
The unique color of gypsy art had a tremendous impact on world culture: music, poetry and cinema. Everyone knows the heroes: the gypsy Esmeralda from Hugo's Notre Dame Cathedral, the fatal Carmen of Georges Bizet, Pushkin's Zemfira and Aleko, modern boho style, touching romances and music of Goran Bregovic - humanity owes all this heritage to the gypsies.
In conclusion
Gypsies are a complex and mysterious people. It is impossible to fully experience their culture without plunging into it personally. The main thing is not to form your ideas, only based on the image of dirty beggars on the streets. In fact, the gypsies are an original and extraordinary ethnic group with their own laws, customs, rich culture and valuable heritage.
