What do gypsies believe? Gypsies: who are they and where did they come from? Little-known facts about one of the most mysterious peoples
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 for Antarctica.
Types of gypsies
The division of the Roma into ethnic groups occurs depending on the territorial location and occupation. Ethnologists distinguish three western and three eastern branches of the gypsies.
The Western ones are:
- Roma is one of the largest groups. It includes gypsies occupying the territory of Europe.
- Sinti are German and French gypsies.
- Iberians are Spaniards and Portuguese.
The eastern branch is formed by:
- Lyuli are Central Asian gypsies.
- Bosch - Gypsy peoples occupying the territories of Turkey and the Caucasus.
- Home - Arab peoples and 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 gypsy culture talk about the possibility of dividing gypsies into groups, in accordance with the nature of their activities.
What religion do gypsies profess?
Gypsy culture is closely connected with the Gypsies, forms their traditions, customs and moral and ethical standards, and depends, as a rule, 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.
The 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 a particular group belong to, their mentality and beliefs, which have developed over a long time of their existence, leave an imprint on following one or another moral norm.
Outward acceptance of the 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 faith 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 salt 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
The faith of the gypsies 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 indefinitely.
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 life 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, since 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 the gypsies
No matter what faith the gypsies belong to, there are common beliefs that determine their entire worldview. There is a story that a gypsy stole a nail that the 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 Roma 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 Faith 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 at the time many indicated other nationalities.
"Russian Roma" have their own dialect - a mixture of Russian, Polish and German. The traditional occupations of Russian gypsies are horse breeding, playing music, dancing, fortune-telling and the 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 - the laws of communication with both Roma and non-Roma: the prohibition of murder, rape, physical injury.
Respect for the guest is a must. The largest number of rules speaks of behavior within the gypsy community. The main thing is that no one has the right to exalt 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
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 that are associated with creativity, needlework, pottery and carpentry.
A significant part of Russian gypsies today is associated 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 popular all over the world
Impact on culture
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, the modern boho style, touching romances and music of Goran Bregovic - humanity owes all this heritage to the gypsies.
Finally
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.
In Russia, the majority of Roma are Orthodox and undergo the rite of baptism. Many of them are quite devout. So, in the houses of settled gypsies there is a “red corner” with icons. They try to observe religious rites, and married couples are sure to get married in a church, and the wedding ritual is considered more important than registering a marriage in the registry office. But even more important is the “gypsy wedding”, which is played even before the wedding - it means the recognition of marriage by the gypsy community.
The biggest religious holidays for Orthodox Gypsies are 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 a curious custom. On Radonitsa, women and children certainly visit cemeteries, where they ask for alms from visitors. And it doesn't have to be beggars. Thus, they fulfill a certain Christian “duty”, helping other people to do a good deed. By the way, Russians often know about this and on this day they willingly serve change to the gypsies.
Muslim gypsies also pay attention to religious customs, but not all. So, gypsies in Islamic countries never cover their faces. Not everyone practices the rite of circumcision of the foreskin.
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 definite 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, the 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, influencing them. Many singers, actors, artists, etc. had gypsy roots.
Mysterious peoples on our planet lived in the past. For example, such as .
Reading Raymond Buckland's Gypsies. Secrets of life and tradition. Came across this place, in the chapter on religious beliefs:
“In Gypsies: Wanderers of the World (McDowell B. Gypsies: Wanderers of the World. Washington, D. C: National Geographic Society, 1970), Gypsy Cliff Lee reports the following: “I often went to church, but only to baptisms. Priests at baptism gave the baby coins. I remember as children we went to church eight times in one Sunday and baptized the same baby each time. Each church gave a different name, and the baby was borrowed.”
What is overseas exotic! There are many of our gypsies who visit the Minusinsk Spassky Cathedral.
I love them like children ... Children, as you know, are uncompromising creatures, often cruel, emotionally drunk, extremely, sloppy, simply dirty, naive, and all this coexists in them with primordial purity (for whom everyday everyday observations of children are not enough and who live in ivory tower, feeding on the secondary homogenized puree of literature-film-music, he may recall "Peter Pan", "Lord of the Flies" by Golding or the film "Scarecrow" by Rolan Bykov, in extreme cases - the American comedy "Problem Child") - they still just learning to live, it could be like that in the Garden of Eden ...
Photo: Anzor Bukharsky, photosight.ru
Uncompromising - but torquemadas and Vyshinskys rarely come out of children: the fate of exiles, the cross of sorrows and roads imposed on the gypsies by God, does not allow them to become stagnant in evil, that is, to rise to a spiritual level higher - and to commit evil a degree higher (remember, u, v "Reflection on the Psalms": "If God's call does not make us better, it will make us much worse. Of all the bad people, the worst are the bad religious people. Of all the creatures, the worst is the one who has seen God face to face...." Offtopic : from here the philistine conclusion of a contemporary could follow: of all today's Russians, for example, priests are the worst of all; but really, let's not rush!).
Priest Sergiy Kruglov
In our town there is an area consisting mainly of one-story wooden houses built in the 40s - 50s of the last century, called the Gypsy swamp. "Gypsy" - because a large part of the population here are Roma. “Swamp” - because Minusinsk lies at the bottom of a geological formation called the “Minusinsk Hollow”, and the Gypsy Swamp is the most swampy bottom of this basin: the area is located in the floodplain of some ancient reservoir, it is constantly flooded with spring melt water, the soils here are sandy and easily drinkable moisture.
I remember that there, in the area of Manskaya and Krasnoyarskaya streets, there is a half-pond-half-pool, in which every spring you can see great armadas of juvenile harlots, plowing the water surface on gates torn from fences, rafts hastily knocked together from slabs, controlled by poles, and inflated chambers; ukhari arrange formidable trafalgars among themselves here, fighting not for life, but for death, downright street to street, in the best, time-honored heroic traditions of mysterious russian soul.
The gypsies who live here, what they live with - I don’t know for sure, therefore I won’t lie, but they sell techie alcohol (aka “shmurdyak”, aka “awl” in the local dialect) and marijuana, yes, they sell. In fairness, I note: they are far from alone ... But somehow they “trade”, and do not trade with might and main, brazenly and shamelessly, and they don’t build any magnificent palaces for themselves in Minusinsk - however, it’s better not to contact for specifics on these facts to me, but to the relevant local police authorities.
Gypsies often come to the Spassky Cathedral.
... Faina is an elderly gypsy, similar to the Indian actress Zinat Aman, if she is aged to 70 years (however, who knows - maybe the charming traitor from the Soviet-Indian film about Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is already 70, I haven’t seen her for a long time new masterpieces of Bollywood).
She goes to almost every service, to every service, and repents with tears, all in the same thing ... She does not know the depths of patristic psychology, she cannot clearly voice the eight deadly sins with their divisions, but her tears for the whole family, for unlucky children and grandchildren, for a clumsy life - are genuine. That each of her confessions touches my heart - her joyful and incredulous amazement when I say a permissive prayer: “- Faina. “Yes, Faya!… Father, do you remember my name?!..”
... About ten years ago it was. The time is around midnight. I'm going to sleep. Persistent ringing at the door ... I open: madamaragaya! The stairwell is full of gypsies. An elderly woman excitedly says to me: “Father, please come with us! I have a child, a girl, in intensive care, confess, take communion ... ”Where to go, got ready, went.
On the way I find out: how old is the girl?
“Yes, thirty-two.”
Whoa, I think. Big…
– What happened to her?
- “Yes, her husband left her, she drank vinegar ...”
I come to the ward - a young gypsy, a beauty, is lying on her back in bed, toiling terribly - acetic acid has burned everything, from the larynx to the rectum, she cannot speak, there are tears in her eyes ... It is clear that I can’t give her the Holy Gifts - she has nothing to swallow. At least confess... And what is the generality of that confession. He only asked in his hearts: “Do you yourself, I say, understand that you are a fool?” Nodding, crying... He covered it with a stole, read a prayer.
She died shortly after a few hours. Children, you say? Yes, she also had children, they usually give birth to all children, gypsies and protection are not honored. Well, there were a lot of relatives there, they didn’t let the children go to waste, I think.
... I always noted how earnestly they observe external rituals, they are baptized habitually and correctly, everyone knows by heart. Centuries of wandering, apparently, taught them to accept the religion of the country in which they stopped, to honor it, even to mimic ...
In the cemeteries of Minusinsk, both in the old and in the new, gypsy graves are the most prominent. And not only because the monuments are bright, expensive, the fences are forged, for centuries, because the pomposity of wreaths (children love toys) climbs into the eyes. These graves are family graves. The tables are strong, benches, barbecues are dug in nearby. And they come there on parental days with the whole camp - from the elderly to great-great-grandchildren. And they will always find a priest in the vastness of the cemetery - on, for example, this is both troublesome and problematic - and politely take them by the arms to the grave, serve a lithium, and greet with all respect. With superficial, someone will say? Yes, even so. Ordinary wrapped running ass and that's nice.
… In general, christenings and funerals are such moments of human life when you touch something simple and important. Christenings and funeral services for gypsies - including. They once baptized a gypsy girl, about two years old. Large, like a five year old.
As often happens with children for baptism (in the church for the first time, they think that they may have brought to the hospital, they are afraid of a man with a beard in an apron and with a wand in his hand, even more so - if they were torn from their mother, they gave it to their godmother), the girl yawned to roar, powerful bass. The godmother, who tried to hold her in her arms, tore out a tuft of hair ... Numerous relatives present at the baptism yelled: “Jah! Jah!…”, grabbed the child, pushed me into a corner, tried to shove the girl into the font herself… barely repulsed and finished the sacrament. It's hot, I remember, it's summer, sweat is pouring from everyone in a stream.
The girl came out of the font quiet, and really like a newborn. In Church Slavonic, “baptism” is “bath of resurrection”. "Pakistanie" - eternal life; and the bath ... the bath is the bath.
I once buried two gypsies - husband and wife, young, about thirty years old. They killed them, took the car away, lowered them themselves under the ice, and found them in the spring.
A gypsy hut, a combination of luxury and dirt: expensive wallpapers, burgundy with gold, plastic double-glazed windows in the window openings of the hut, fragments of European-style renovation, the iconostasis in the corner shines with gilded foil. Two coffins made of mahogany (or imitation?) - next to each other; all relatives have a mink on their heads, leather jackets on their shoulders, unwashed fingers are all in gold.
Luxurious coffins stand on shaky stools, the floor is spit and covered in gobies, on the tables - vodka immeasurably; props of grief... What was real - the marble and calm faces of the deceased, and - the tears of their mother. Her cry, restrained, not to howl, but sincere - the woman who gave birth and buried children, Rachel, crying for her children, cries in all languages, in all religions and cultures - the same.
... Passion for what gypsies love to give oaths. They swear - and then, unable to fulfill, they go to the temple in horror, they say, remove the oath from me. The other day a woman came crying. What am I saying? “But I don’t know what to do! And I swore on the grave!…” – On what grave, what is it?! - “And on the grave I swore that I would slaughter him! I swore by this child! ... ”A child is loitering behind her back - a curly black-haired guy of about twenty, who looks like he is bursting with health and with this health adjusted to live at least a hundred years. “Eh,” I say. - What nonsense, you need to come to confession. He nods his head happily; I know for sure - it will come.
Gypsy women are generally a special article. Their husbands are often useless: they don’t work, they get drunk, and they force their wives to get money by any means. So they get it ... No matter how many of them came to the temple, with all sorts of needs - whether to ask for advice, whether to consecrate the house, whether to baptize a child - looking at all of them, I thought: yes, these are women. Such and such, it is clear that gypsies, what to take from them. Approximately the same as God created them back then, in the Garden of Eden (which thoughts, looking at European feminists, for example, you cannot say in a fairy tale or dream in a nightmare).
Much more could be written about gypsies. About an old woman who predicted to me a long time ago - just like that, for a ladle of water on a hot day - all the main stages of my life, which I did not believe in the slightest at that time. About the holy girl Rimma Zolotareva, who suffered from a brain disorder and communicated with angels, whom I communed until the day of her death and about whom I wrote the poem “Spring of Light”, which was subsequently translated into various European languages.
Mom said that my family was also mixed with gypsies, and I saw pre-war photos of my grandfathers cousins - handsome, each like Nikolai Slichenko, all communists and violent heads, somewhere these heads were then laid down, and I I myself don’t know anything about gypsies, how rum and scrap differ, or who Black Sarah is, nothing at all.
About the fact that we are all children of God, and who has what gifts and from whom what will be asked, and why God has useful laying hens, why - songful nightingales, and why - completely useless vagrants-sparrows ... There could be a lot of things write, is it worth it? For the wise Ecclesiastes said in Holy Scripture: “… To compose many books there will be no end, and to read much is tiring for the bodies. a” (Eccl. 12:12b)
One of the most frequently asked questions to me is what is the REAL faith of gypsies?
People who ask it are usually pre-configured to hear one of the following options: "Hinduism/paganism", "fire worship/sun worship" or simply "Gypsies don't believe in anything".
And I, as an honest woman, have to destroy their world, explaining that the Muslim gypsies have the Muslim faith, and the Christian gypsies have the Christian faith, and in both cases the real one. And if Christian gypsies are quite mobile in relation to Christian denominations (Catholic Magyars do not see a big problem in moving to the Evangelical camp, because there is a cross here and there, for example), then they rarely and reluctantly switch from Christianity to Islam and vice versa, mostly the transition is made by women to the faith of their husband. True, inter-religious marriages among gypsies are rare.
The adherence to the faith of the ancestors among the Gypsies is surprisingly stable, although I have seen many times in tyrnetik statements that the Gypsies always follow the religious customs of the area where they are. However, there are cases when Russian gypsies in France, having fled there during the Civil War with the nobles, did not baptize their children for years, looking for Orthodox churches - and after finding out, they baptized everyone in a crowd and at once, in large numbers. Some "newborns" at baptism were already fifteen or sixteen years old, their mustaches were breaking through or their chests were growing. Sometimes the next day after baptism, the newly baptized were married right there (if this is not a joke, of course). Gypsies-Lovaris, who have been living in Russia for decades, are moving from Catholicism to Orthodoxy slowly and carefully, and mainly because of a small number of Catholic churches and from the considerations that "here is Christianity and there is Christianity." Muslim gypsies in Latin America, a hundred years after their arrival from the Balkans, did not forget Islam, 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, yes. And here they are:
4. Beliefs in filth. It is they who descend with the development of hygiene products and assimilation, the rest hold on much stronger. The carriers of filth can be the organs of the pelvic region, women's legs and skirt, death, human entrails, some types of sick people (oddly enough, except for tuberculosis and others like them, mentally retarded and mentally ill people sometimes come here), who have committed certain types of crimes, and , of course, feces.
As for the animation of the forces of nature (the moon-vampire, the whirlwind-thief) and 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 gypsies than those listed above.
By the way, with regard to my story about Lilyanka Horvat, then, if you notice, only beliefs around the dead and - a little - monotheism are actively disclosed. However, I have a patch for the next gypsy theme there - of course, Bakht. The first person to notice this was, it seems,
