The origin of the gypsy people. Who are the gypsies? The origin of the "mysterious Egyptians. On an equal footing
Gypsies can now be found in all corners of the planet, except perhaps Antarctica. Only in Europe their number is 12 million people. I suggest you find out 11 national habits and characteristics of the gypsies, some of which will surprise you very much.
"Gypsies" is a collective term, the same as "Slavs", "Caucasians", "Scandinavians" or "Hispanics". Gypsies include several dozen nationalities. In many regions of Russia, you can still find gypsy camps, they smell of Pushkin's Bessarabia, their language is a rough verbal lump, and their clothes are an endless holiday.
A 14-year-old girl for gypsies is already a potential bride. At weddings and other celebrations where you can dance, all the girls who are over 14 years old will dance until the very end of the celebration, because they know that the fathers of their sons are currently watching and evaluating them. An unmarried gypsy 19 years old is already an old maid.
The bride on the wedding day is redeemed in gold in kilograms or "in jars". The bride's father or brothers, if there is no father, set the price themselves, for example, two three-liter jars filled with gold rings, chains, etc.
On the day of the wedding, the gypsies have one exciting moment for everyone, when the older women of the family take the bride to the bedroom and check whether she is a virgin or not. Actually, the deprivation of virginity in the same place, behind closed doors, takes place - without any participation of the groom. Afterwards, guests are shown a snow-white sheet or a shirt with a blood stain on a beautiful large tray.
For example, it is unlikely that there will be a wedding between Kotlyars and Russian Gypsies, since this is tantamount to a wedding with a non-Gypsy. The Roma of one state see the Roma of another state as a special people and never keep in touch. Russian gypsies are mostly Orthodox, Crimean and Palestinian - Muslims, Croatian - Catholics.
A gypsy family must have at least one son. If the heir is not born in any way, then they no longer risk and take the boy from the orphanage. At the same time, a child can be anyone: Bashkir, Russian, red, freckled, fair-haired, blue-eyed. This was partly the reason for the myth that gypsies steal children.
A child is sent to school most often so that he learns to read, write and count, since from the age of six to eight children are taught to adulthood - they begin to help their parents in trade. Therefore, if a gypsy child after the third grade still goes to school for lessons, and does not help his parents in the market, it means that he is wasting time instead of learning the family business.
If a gypsy has a two-story house, no woman can go up to the second floor if the man is on the first. This law is still observed today.
Women still wear two skirts and an apron. It is believed that below the waist a woman is "dirty" and "unclean". The touch of her skirt can "desecrate" not only any object, but also a person. Therefore, the underskirt is considered unclean, as it touches the woman, the second is also considered unclean, since the underskirt is still a little dirty. Only the apron is considered clean. You can touch it, lean dishes, wipe your hands on it.
They have an internal court
In the event of a dispute, respected gypsies come to listen to the arguments of the parties for and against. For gypsies, this is an important moment in the settlement of relations, and it is not subject to publicity. Punishments can be very different. One of the most serious - "gave 24". The guilty gypsy is forced to leave the community and given 24 hours to do so.
Gypsies remain one of the most incomprehensible and mythologized peoples on our planet - and this state of affairs has persisted for many hundreds of years. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that the Romani came to the city to seduce the inhabitants, and then steal everything in the world, including children. Myths also circulate about the lustfulness of the women of this tribe (one has only to look at the traditional outfits to understand their falsity). Magic, mysticism, the lack of a clear faith and their own state - but who are they, really?
Where did they come from
The origin of the gypsies is shrouded in mystery. Now many historians are inclined to think that the Romani undertook a massive exodus from India as early as the fifth century AD. This theory suggests that the flight was due to the spread of Islam, which the Romani community tried desperately not to accept in order to protect their own notions of religious freedom.
Eternal nomads
The people of this tribe appear as nomads. But, apparently, they did not choose such an unusual way of life. Gypsies have been expelled from the territory of states for centuries. This continues to this day. The real reason for the nomadic lifestyle is a simple attempt to survive.
Tideland
Gypsies are people without a state. Centuries of persecution forced this nation to develop a way to live invisibly in the country. Many never get passports, do not have access to healthcare, and cannot send their children to schools. In 1977, the International Union of Gypsies was officially registered: a kind of nomadic state scattered all over the planet.
How many of them
Due to constant discrimination, Roma are in no hurry to participate in population censuses. According to rough estimates by The New York Times, only about 11 million representatives of this tribe live and live on the planet.
Name
For many people, the name "Gypsies" (Gypsie) will simply refer to a tribe of nomads. However, the representatives of the nationality themselves avoid this word. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word gypped (criminal act) was derived from gypsie.
Magic
Gypsies are surrounded by many myths. In many ways, they are implicated in a misunderstanding of the culture of these people. Gypsies are believed to have centuries of magic skills. Even in art, there are many references to the Romani as mystical and magical people. Needless to say, all this is just speculation?
Modesty
And gypsy promiscuity is nothing more than a myth. Just look at the traditional outfits of Romani girls: long skirts, covered heads. Even the dances of this tribe do not imply the exposure of the "shameful" parts of the body.
According to linguistic and genetic studies, the ancestors of the Gypsies came out of India in a group of about 1000 people. The timing of the migration of the ancestors of the Gypsies from India has not been precisely established, as well as the number of migratory waves. But it is known that the padishah from India presented 1000 people as a token of gratitude to the Shah of Persia. Various researchers roughly determine the outcome of the so-called "proto-Gypsy" groups in the 6th-10th centuries AD. e. According to the most popular version, based on the analysis of borrowed words in the languages of the Gypsies, the ancestors of the modern Gypsies spent about 400 years in Persia, before the branch of the Romans moved west to the territory of Byzantium. They were the ancestors of European gypsies: Roma, Kale, Sinti, Manush. Part of the migrants remained in the Middle East. There is an opinion that another branch went to Palestine and through it to Egypt.
As for the so-called Central Asian gypsies, or lyuli, then they, as they are sometimes figuratively said, are cousins or even second cousins \u200b\u200bof European gypsies. Thus, the Central Asian Gypsy population, having absorbed various flows of migrants from the Punjab (including the Baloch groups) for centuries, has historically been heterogeneous.
The Gypsies of Europe are the descendants of the Gypsies who lived in Byzantium. Documents testify that the gypsies lived both in the center of the empire and on its outskirts, and there most of these gypsies converted to Christianity. In Byzantium, the gypsies quickly integrated into society. In a number of places their leaders were given certain privileges. Written references to the Roma of that period are scarce, but they do not seem to suggest that the Roma were of any particular interest or perceived as a marginal or criminal group. Gypsies are mentioned as metalworkers, horse harness makers, saddlers, fortune-tellers (in Byzantium it was a common profession), trainers (moreover, in the earliest sources - snake charmers, and only in later sources - bear trainers). At the same time, the most common craft, apparently, was still artistic and blacksmithing, entire villages of gypsy blacksmiths are mentioned.
With the collapse of the Byzantine Empire, the gypsies began to migrate to Europe. Judging by written European sources, the first to arrive in Europe were marginal, adventurous representatives of the people engaged in begging, fortune-telling and petty theft, which marked the beginning of a negative perception of the Gypsies as a people among Europeans. And only after some time artists, trainers, artisans, horse traders began to arrive.
The earliest Russian official document mentioning gypsies dates back to 1733 - Anna Ioannovna's decree on new taxes on the upkeep of the army:
In addition to the maintenance of the regiments, determine fees from the gypsies, both in Little Russia they are collected from them, and in the Sloboda regiments and in the Great Russian cities and counties assigned to the Sloboda regiments, and for this collection to determine a special person, since the gypsies are not written in the census . On this occasion, the report of Lieutenant-General Prince Shakhovsky explained, among other things, that it was impossible to write gypsies in the census, because they do not live in courtyards.
World Gypsy Day - 04/08/1971.
On April 8, 1971, the first World Gypsy Congress took place in London. The result of the congress was the recognition of themselves as the gypsies of the world as a single non-territorial nation and the adoption of national symbols: a flag and an anthem based on the folk song "Dzhelem, Dzhelem". Instead of a coat of arms, the gypsies use a number of recognizable symbols: a wagon wheel, a horseshoe, a deck of cards. Romani books, newspapers, magazines and websites are usually decorated with such symbols, one of these symbols is usually included in the logos of events dedicated to Romani culture.
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.
It so happened in society that few people trust the gypsies. At best, they try to avoid and ignore them, at worst, they mock them. Most often, the reason lies in the fact that people do not know where the gypsies came from. One cannot argue with the fact that among this people there are many people with a dubious reputation. Despite this, their history is quite interesting, therefore, in order to judge objectively, one must take into account the influence of constant persecution and humiliation to which the gypsies have been subjected for centuries. This attitude of society made them unite and become one big family. Perhaps this is what pushed them to dishonest earnings and deceit, because let's be honest - it's not easy for a gypsy to find a job.
Demography
This people originates in India, on the island of Tzu. Scientists have long established the fact that the gypsies appeared in northwestern India about one and a half thousand years ago. This idea was first expressed by two German scientists - J. Rüdiger and G. Grelman. Confirmation is that the Romani language consists of a third of Sanskrit. At the same time, it should be remembered that the Persians and Greeks had a significant influence on the formation of the gypsy language. After 6 centuries, the Roma (another name for the gypsies) began to immigrate to Europe - such a conclusion was made by genetic scientists after studying their genome. The reason for possible immigration lies in the displacement of the people by Muslims. Modern calculations suggest that the homeland of this people is the territory of Gujarat and Kashmir.
Geneticists believe that all gypsies are united by two main factors: they were from India and actively married people of different nationalities, immigrating to Europe. Today, about 11 million gypsies live there, experts say. Most of it occupies the territory of Eastern and Central Europe, Hungary and Romania. Their number fluctuates between 2.5 and 8 million people, according to various estimates. It is worth noting that during the tyranny of Adolf Hitler, the gypsies were massacred. Since there is no written evidence of the gypsy people, scientists decided to compare the genomes of people from 13 different groups of gypsies from around the world. The general conclusions of the study showed that the demographic history of the Roma is quite rich. However, the practically disenfranchised position of people of this nationality around the world does not allow a more detailed and qualitative study of their historical roots.
It is known that until the 15th century, the gypsies in Europe were received very kindly, but after a while they gained a reputation as beggars, charlatans and vagabonds. The displacement of the people from the cultural and social life of society took place on legal grounds. They were evicted outside the city, forbidden to participate in public life. Ordinary people hated the gypsies, mocked and even killed them without a trace of embarrassment. After 3 centuries, the attitude of people towards this people became more tolerant.
There is a division into sedentary, semi-sedentary and nomadic. What was the nomad camp like? It was a group of people who moved around a certain territory. The camp has always had one leader - woad. He represented his people before the authorities of the country where the camp roamed. The vaida also had every right to independently resolve internal conflicts. The position of the female gypsy is unenviable: she had to obey her father, and then her husband. On the shoulders of young girls lay the care of the care and food of each member of the family. The decision to marry off his daughter was also made by the father, who himself found a suitable candidate. It was believed that a good wife would bring her husband a large offspring. Sedentary and semi-sedentary gypsies took root everywhere, as they easily passed from one faith to another and obeyed the church customs of the people among whom they lived. Nomads remain true to their traditions and rituals, honor them and pass them on through generations. Separate nomadic groups still continue to engage in their original activities: dancing, singing, weaving, mystical divination and prediction, witchcraft, animal training, wood processing.
Where did the gypsies come from in Russia?
They got here through two routes: through the warm Balkan countries, as well as through northern Germany and Poland. Before the revolution of 1917, Roma men were engaged in buying and selling and exchanging horses, and women were engaged in mystical paid affairs. The nomads subsisted on begging and divination, sometimes on tinning and blacksmithing. The gypsies of St. Petersburg, who settled in the city, massively replenished the composition of the choirs. After the revolution, a decree was issued that these people should adopt a more laborious and suitable way of life. Thus, the gypsies imperceptibly joined the huge Soviet family. When the Great Patriotic War began, many men of this nationality fought side by side with the soldiers of the Soviet Army. In 1956, another similar decree was issued, after which a significant part of the vagrants adopted a sedentary lifestyle. Today, the Roma people are not limited in their rights: they can receive secondary and higher education, freely choose any field of activity. Unfortunately, only a few enjoy these rights. Since the middle of the last century, many countries in which Roma ethnic groups live have taken a number of measures to improve the position of these people in society. Public organizations are beginning to appear that are engaged in raising the cultural and economic standard of living of the Roma. In France there is an "International Gypsy Committee", which has been operating since 1971; The Institute for Contemporary Gypsy Studies operates in the UK. Similar organizations exist in India and America.
Despite the fact that researchers have long known where the gypsies came from, among the common people you can still hear the most incredible rumors and legends about the origin of people of this nationality. There is even an opinion that they are descendants of the sunken Atlantis. It should be understood that gypsy groups are very different from each other, so you cannot attribute individual negative qualities to the whole people. Still, in the age of information technology, it is a shame not to know about the origin and history of the gypsies.
In the XIV-XV centuries. in Europe, a nomadic people appeared, known as gypsies, whose origin, life and language remained a mystery for a long time. Their ancestors did not leave behind a written history, so a variety of theories arose about the origin of the people. It is as if doomed to eternal wanderings and has its own special civilization.
Gypsies are scattered all over the world. They can be found on any continent, but nowhere do they mix with other peoples. Even the number of gypsies could not always be established in certain countries. They often tried to explain the origin of the gypsies with absurd theories, looking at their ancestry from German Jews , even mentioning the inhabitants of the legendary Atlantis.
The emergence of a host of other theories was generated from the undeveloped complex issues of ethnography and history of Europe's largest national minority group, which was the gypsies. The origin of the people was reduced to three main versions. The theory of Asian roots was supported by Henri de Spond, who associated the gypsies with the medieval Attingan sect. Many scholars associated this people with the Near Asian tribe of the Siggins, mentioned by the ancient authors Strabo, Herodotus and others. The Egyptian origin theory was one of the earliest, dating back to the 15th century. Moreover, the first gypsies who arrived in Europe themselves spread these legends. This version was supported by English scientists who claimed that the gypsies, on their way to Europe, visited the country of the pyramids, where they acquired their unlimited knowledge and skills in the field of sleight of hand, divination and astrology.
The Indian origin theory arose in the 18th century. The basis for this version was the similarity of the language of India with the language spoken by the gypsies. According to this version, the origin of the people is now practically generally accepted. The question of the localization of the ancestors of the Gypsies in India and the exact time of their exit from the country remains difficult.
The ambiguity of the source of the emergence of this people has always been intertwined with the definition of the very concept of "gypsies", the origin of this name was often considered not as an ethnic, but as a social phenomenon. In various sources, the name "gypsies" is applied to social groups leading a wandering lifestyle, which are characterized by similar features and specific methods of earning a living, such as fortune-telling, small crafts, songs and dances, begging and others.
Indeed, the gypsies, who are mosaically settled throughout the world, are heterogeneous in composition, and it is not always easy to understand how great the differences are between them. They are divided into a number of ethnic groups, which are distinguished by dialects and other local ethno-cultural characteristics. Their traditional wandering cannot be seen as a kind of romantic wanderlust or chaotic aimless wanderings. The way of life of the people was based on economic reasons. It was necessary to constantly look for markets for the products of the tabor artisans, a new audience for their performances.
Ethnocultural contacts of a certain group of gypsies with the surrounding population led to a number of borrowings. An interesting fact is that the gypsies were in no hurry to leave the inhabited territories, even when they got into rather unfavorable conditions. It is known that in many countries they were subjected to severe persecution. And yet, even in the very epicenter of organized violence, whole survivors appeared. These are Calais in Spain, Sinti in Germany, Travelers in England.
While in the Catholic West the appearance of the Gypsies led to the adoption of laws for their expulsion, in Byzantium no such law was passed. Craftsmen, metalworkers, people who are in charge of animal trainers were highly valued here.
In Russia, the emergence of new ethnic groups of gypsies was associated with the expansion of the territory. In 1783, according to the decree of Catherine II, the gypsies of Russia were included in the peasant class, they were ordered to collect the appropriate taxes and taxes. At will, they were also allowed to attribute themselves to other classes, except for the nobility. So, by the end of the 19th century, there were many Russian gypsies among the merchant and petty-bourgeois classes.
In the 19th century in Russia, there was a steady process of gypsy integration, their settling in permanent places, which was explained by the improvement in the financial well-being of their families. Natural artistry, which absorbed a lot from the cultures of different countries, attracted genuine attention to this people. Russian romances performed by gypsies acquired a different color. A genre of gypsy romance appeared, founded by Russian composers and poets who were passionate about this culture. A layer of professional artists began to appear.