Gypsies: who are they and where did they come from? Little-known facts about one of the most mysterious peoples. What religion do the gypsies profess?
In Russia, the majority of Roma are Orthodox and undergo baptism. Many of them are quite devout. Thus, in the houses of settled gypsies there is a “red corner” with icons. They try to observe religious rituals, and married couples are sure to get married in church, and the wedding ritual is considered more important than registering the marriage in the registry office. But even more important is the “gypsy wedding”, which takes place even before the wedding - it means recognition of the marriage by the gypsy community.
The biggest Religious holidays for Orthodox gypsies - Christmas and Easter. For Turkish Christian gypsies, the biggest holiday is Hidrelez, which is celebrated on the night of May 5-6. It is also celebrated in the Balkans, where it is called Ederlezi and is dedicated to St. George.
The Russian Vlach Gypsies have an interesting custom. On Radonitsa, women and children certainly visit cemeteries, where they beg for alms from visitors. And these are not necessarily beggars. In this way, they fulfill a certain Christian “duty” by helping other people do a good deed. By the way, Russians often know about this and on this day they willingly give the gypsies small change.
Muslim gypsies also pay attention to religious customs, but not all. Thus, gypsy women in Islamic countries never cover their faces. Not everyone practices the ritual of circumcision of the foreskin.
They profess the ruling power in the country of their residence. In some places they also learn the language of the surrounding population, finally losing their native language.
For example, in Russia Gypsies are Orthodox, in Russia they are Catholics, in Russia they are Mohammedans, and so on. This does not prevent them from everywhere observing many religious rituals and views taken from their old homeland. This is evidenced by their ethnographically interesting wedding and funeral rites, during childbirth, when naming children, and so on. Their views on afterlife and funeral rites are among the most primitive.
Rites of the Gypsies
Here are some customs and rituals from the life of gypsies: Wedding. A week before the wedding, the bride and groom go to a river or lake and place two lit candles on the shore. If one of them goes out before it burns out, it is considered a bad omen; then young people throw apples and eggs into the water (sacred objects of common Aryan mythology) to appease the spirits and gods of the water.
Funeral. They bring you to the dying man white dog, which licks him in order to quickly lure the soul out of the body. During the agony, things are taken out of the tent that the soul could trip over as it leaves the body. After carrying out the deceased (not through the door, but by pulling back the back wall of the tent), in the yard they place a pole at the head, stuck into the ground, and ask the deceased: “Did the great god kill you?” If it seemed to those present that the deceased had moved, it means that he was killed by the enemy’s machinations, and it is necessary to take revenge.
The journey of the soul to the afterlife (through deserts, mountains, rivers) even down to the details resembles the beliefs of the most primitive peoples. Afterworld for gypsies it is no different from earthly. Mute, deaf, hunchbacked remain so there too. The soul returns to the body no earlier than when only bones remain from the corpse in the grave. The fate of people who die an unnatural death is completely different from those who die a natural death. Those who drown remain imprisoned in pots by the owners of the water until their bodies rot. Those killed live in the bodies of wild animals until the death of their killers. The souls of those who died in houses (not in tents) wander on the ground until their house is completely destroyed. Social institutions were preserved just as primitively.
One of the most frequently asked questions to me is what is the REAL faith of the gypsies?
People who ask it are usually pre-set to hear one of the following options: “Hinduism/paganism”, “fire/sun worship” or simply “Gypsies don’t believe in anything”.
And I, as an honest woman, have to destroy their world, explaining that Muslim gypsies have a Muslim faith, and Christian gypsies have a Christian faith, and in both cases it is real. And if Christian gypsies are quite mobile in relation to Christian denominations (Catholic Magyars do not see a big problem in going over to the camp of evangelists, because there is a cross here and there, for example), then from Christianity to Islam and vice versa they rarely and reluctantly switch, mostly The transition is made by women to their husband's faith. True, interreligious marriages among Roma are rare.
The adherence to the faith of their ancestors among the Gypsies is surprisingly persistent, although I have seen many times in Tyrnetik statements that the Gypsies always fulfill the religious customs of the area where they are located...
Material from Wikipedia
Total population: 8~10 million
Settlement: Albania:
from 1300 to 120,000
Argentina:
300 000
Belarus:
17 000
Bosnia and Herzegovina:
60,000
Brazil:
678 000
Canada:
80 000
Russia:
183,000 (2002 census)
Romania:
535,140 (see population of Romania)
Slovakia:
65,000 (officially)
USA:
1 million Handbook of Texas
Ukraine:
48,000 (2001 census)
Croatia:
9,463 to 14,000 (2001 Census)
Language: Gypsy, Domari, Lomavren
Religion: Christianity, Islam
Gypsy is a collective name for about 80 ethnic groups united by a common origin and recognition of the “Gypsy law”. There is no single self-name, although Lately As such, the term Romanies is proposed, that is, “rum-like.”
The British traditionally...
Gypsies are one of the most amazing peoples, which can only be found in the world. Many would envy their inner liberation and lifelong optimism. The gypsies never had their own state, and yet they carried their traditions and culture through the centuries. In terms of the degree of their presence on the planet, they can compete with another people, until recently scattered around the world - the Jews. It is no coincidence that Jews and Gypsies were at the very top of the list of those representatives of the human race that were subject to complete destruction, according to racial laws Hitler. But if many books have been written about the genocide of Jews - the Holocaust - and many films have been made, dozens of museums in the country are dedicated to this topic. different countries, then few people know about Kali Trash - the genocide of the Roma. Simply because there was no one to stand up for the gypsies.
Figure 1. Gypsy girl. Eastern Europe
Source unknown
Both Jews and Gypsies are united by the belief in their own special destiny...
History of the Gypsies Resettlement of the Gypsies How do the Gypsies live? Where did the gypsies come from in Russia? Musical culture Gypsy
There are more than 12 million Roma in the world. Calculating their exact number is practically impossible, since most of them are not registered in general civil censuses. Most Roma do not want to recognize their true national origin. The reasons for this can be both economic and social.
The Gypsies are a special ethnic minority, distinguished mainly by their Gypsy blood and gypsy language. Until now, scientists around the world are wondering where the gypsies came from on earth.
History of the Gypsies
Scientists from the University of Rotterdam managed to reveal the secret of the gypsy genealogy. The bulk of this people live in Europe, but most of the gypsies live in Hungary and Romania. Since the Gypsies do not have written history monuments, their historical homeland is currently...
Christianity.
Islam is still very widespread.
So it turns out they don’t have a single religion? What is their national identity based on? Do they have a language or is it different everywhere?
1. There is a type of legend like this:
Why does God love gypsies?
Because when he was crucified, the gypsy stole the fifth nail.
Something like this.
where is the fifth nail if there are only 3 of them?
Well, these are thieves, too, among themselves. like the robber nearby stole a nail from the cross of Jesus. That's why God forgives thieves.
they have no national religion.
depends on habitat
seriously?
It doesn't happen that way. Usually a nation is very closely connected with religion.
In the Catholic West, soon after the appearance of the Gypsies, laws were adopted everywhere to expel them, and starting from the 18th century, the Gypsies were accused of criminal tendencies, confirming this with many facts accumulated by that time.
The outside world and its inhabitants, i.e. those who are not gypsies are called gaje by gypsies. Gaje, for gypsies, “unclean” beings, gaje of any gender and age are absolutely unclean, without any exceptions. Cheating in Gadje is considered not a vice, but a virtue.
Contacts with gaje are allowed according to necessity: economic or forced. Gaje for Roma is the absolute antipode. Love relationship with gaje and marriage are punished by marime - temporary or lifelong excommunication.
The religion of the Gypsies is adapted to Christianity, but with Gypsy tricks - sort of Catholics with Jewish bells and whistles. The gypsies claim that... It is to their advantage that their ancestors lived in Israel from time immemorial. Sex life regulated by the Jewish Orthodox...
Historical information about the gypsies is intertwined with myths and wanders with them, from century to century, and from country to country. It has now been precisely established that the Gypsies originate from Northern India. However, it is unknown what prompted their exodus from this region and when it began. They were presumably driven out by invasions by the Greeks, Persians, Scythians, Kushites, Huns and Arabs. For one reason or another, approximately IX-X centuries large groups of people left their homeland and moved west...
The Gypsies are the largest of the peoples who still do not have their own state and live literally all over the planet. Everyone has heard about the gypsies, everyone has seen them, but they don’t look like common man Therefore, at the everyday level, there are numerous myths and stereotypes about this people. Mostly negative. And they arose, as often happens, from ignorance and the same unusualness.
Below are the 10 most important myths and stereotypes about gypsies. What’s interesting is that these myths exist in all countries of the world...
One of the most frequently asked questions to me is what is the REAL faith of the gypsies?
People who ask it are usually pre-set to hear one of the following options: “Hinduism/paganism”, “fire/sun worship” or simply “Gypsies don’t believe in anything”.
And I, as an honest woman, have to destroy their world, explaining that Muslim gypsies have a Muslim faith, and Christian gypsies have a Christian faith, and in both cases it is real. And if Christian gypsies are quite mobile in relation to Christian denominations (Catholic Magyars do not see a big problem in going over to the camp of evangelists, because there is a cross here and there, for example), then from Christianity to Islam and vice versa they rarely and reluctantly switch, mostly The transition is made by women to their husband's faith. True, interreligious marriages among Roma are rare.
The adherence to the faith of their ancestors among the Gypsies is surprisingly persistent, although I have seen many times in Tyrnetika statements that the Gypsies always follow the religious customs of the area where they are located. However, there are known cases when Russian gypsies in France, having fled there during Civil War with the nobles, they did not baptize their children for years, looking for orthodox churches- and having already found it, they baptized everyone en masse and at once, in large quantities. Some of the “newborns” were already fifteen or sixteen years old at baptism; they were developing mustaches or growing breasts. Sometimes the next day after baptism, the newly baptized people got married right there (if this is not a joke, of course). The Lovarian gypsies, who have been living in Russia for decades, are converting from Catholicism to Orthodoxy slowly and carefully and mainly in small numbers Catholic churches and from considerations that “here is Christianity and there is Christianity.” Muslim gypsies in Latin America for a hundred years after arriving from the Balkans, Islam was not forgotten, you can still meet them there.
Does this mean that gypsies of different religions have nothing in common and no common, primordial beliefs or superstitions?
Of course there are, although now they are partially blurred. But traditionally, there is. And here they are:
4. Beliefs in defilement. They are the ones who are disappearing with the development of hygiene products and assimilation; the rest are holding on much stronger. The carriers of defilement can be the organs of the pelvic region, women’s legs and skirts, death, human entrails, certain types of sick people (oddly enough, in addition to tuberculosis patients and others like them, this sometimes includes the mentally retarded and mentally ill), who have committed certain types of crimes, and well. , of course, feces.
As for the animation of the forces of nature (the vampire moon, the kidnapping whirlwind) and the beliefs in brownies and mermaids, upon closer examination, almost all of this turns out to be borrowed, and especially a lot from the Slavic population. In addition, they clearly occupy a smaller place in the worldview of the Roma than those listed above.
By the way, as for my story about Lilyanka Horvath, if you noticed, only the beliefs around the dead and - a little - monotheism are actively revealed. However, I have a background there for the next gypsy theme - of course, Bakht. The first person to notice this was, it seems,
What is the religion of the gypsies? It’s not just their outfits that are colorful. Their religious views are also very diverse. They mainly depend on their place of residence. Although, of course, there are exceptions to every rule.
Where do gypsies who profess Orthodoxy live?
For example, among those who live in Russia, the predominant religion is Orthodoxy, like the bulk of Russians. As in the main part of the CIS countries. Romanians are also Orthodox.
In what countries do Muslim gypsies live?
Lyuli (gypsies living in Tajikistan) predominantly adhere to the Islamic faith. Like many living in Central Asia and North Africa.
Where do Catholic and Protestant gypsies live?
Among the gypsies living in Poland and others European countries, the main religion is Catholicism. The same situation is with Protestantism. In countries where this religion is widespread, they adhere to it.
In art
In the film “Gypsy Aza” the Sun was often mentioned, and even as a deity. Who knows, maybe they worshiped the Sun and followed him? In any case, some of these people could well have.
A legend that is common among gypsies
A beautiful legend is also widespread among these people. When the Romans decided to crucify Christ, they ordered the blacksmith (who, of course, was a gypsy) to make five large nails, that is, forge them, they were needed to carry out the execution. Four are for the arms and legs, and the fifth is for the heart. He, of course, made an attempt to refuse, but with the help of whips he was forced to do this work.
When the execution began, the gypsy quietly swallowed the fifth nail, intended for the heart. For this, the Lord loved all the gypsies and still protects them.
Another version is less poetic: the gypsy simply stole the fifth nail, and for this God allowed the gypsies to steal.
Like any people, there are atheists among the Roma too. This is especially typical nowadays. But in principle, these are the most religious people. They regularly attend church and perform all the rituals typical of the country in which they live. This is especially typical for the older generation.
What can be said as a conclusion?
The life and customs of the Roma people are in many ways similar to the customs of the countries in which they live. That is, these people have the ability to adapt to everything. Including the religion of the state in which they live. this moment. They do not have an official religion, which these people adhere to in all their countries of residence.
