Self-name of gypsies. Where did the gypsies come from, and why are they not loved anywhere? Nobody knows how many gypsies there are in the world

Author Olga Fatyukhina asked a question in the section Society, Politics, Media

What is the nationality of the gypsies and got the best answer

Reply from User deleted[guru]
Gypsies are a nation. Like everyone else, she must be treated with respect. I present your face and argue. Unfortunately, not all nationalities have their own country. Remember the Kurds, Assyrians, Yazidis. The same thing happens with the gypsies. Moreover, wherever representatives of this Vedic family live, they try to preserve their ancient culture. You say that they don’t want to work and are engaged in selling drugs and weapons. And I will say that they are musical and melodious, they love horses and know how to handle them like no one else. We must respect everyone, trying not to change them to suit our own style, but to understand them.

Answer from Lev Timofeev Fedorovich[active]
Gypsy is me, this is Natsyya, and so are the ancient ancestors of the Hindus

Answer from N.B.[guru]
Gypsies (Roma, Romans) are a people (more precisely, ethnic groups that have a common origin and language). The self-name is Roma (plural), some groups historically call themselves differently, for example Sinti, or have lost their former self-name in the process of assimilation and persecution.
Descendants of immigrants from India. They live in many countries of Europe, Western and South Asia, as well as in North Africa, North and South America and Australia.
The English traditionally call them Gypsies (from Egyptians - "Egyptians"), the Spanish - Gitanos, the French - Bohémiens (Bohemians), Gitans or Tsiganes, the Germans - Zigeuner, the Italians - Zingari, the Dutch - Heidens ("pagans"), the Hungarians - Cigany or Pharao nerek (“Pharaoh’s tribe”), Finns - mustalaiset (“black”), Turks - Çingerie, Çingane; in Hebrew - Tso'anim (צוענים), from the name of the biblical province of Tsoan in Ancient Egypt; in Bulgarian - Tsigani. Currently, ethnonyms from the self-name “Roma” (English Roma, Czech Romové, Finnish romanit, etc.) are becoming increasingly widespread in various languages.

Answer from Kolesnikova Yulia[guru]
The nationality is Gypsies, and people come from India. Anyone who has been to India please confirm!! ! I had a lot of friends there, and I know from them!

Answer from Alexey Ermakov[guru]
Untermensch their nationality

Answer from Lex Lexus[newbie]
Hindus are Hindus. That's why they sell drugs.

Answer from Yoamirchik[guru]
U nix armyanskaya nationalnost.

Answer from User deleted[guru]
But it’s not clear which one. Strange. Greeks, Armenians, and maybe others. That’s why they’re gypsies, I’ll think they’re Gypsies.

Answer from Margarita Kuptsova[active]
Gypsies - they are gypsies in Africa too!

Answer from User deleted[guru]
this is the same thing if you ask what nationality Russians have. Gypsies - this is the nationality

Answer from VALERA Ivanov[guru]
they have all become Moldovans now and are offended when they are called gypsies!

Answer from Vitaliy Yasminov[guru]
I heard two versions about the homeland of the gypsies. According to the first, gypsies come from India from the ancient Aryans. By the way, the Emperor of the Gypsies, Michael I, still lives in India.
According to the second version, the gypsies are the descendants of the ancient Egyptians. But nowhere in the literature have I found confirmation of either version.
But in many countries, in addition to their nationality, they usually have “Gypsy” written in their passport.

Answer from Maria Chernitsa[guru]
This is what Gypsy is. But here is the religion of the state in which they live: in Russia, almost everyone is Orthodox. In Israel - Jews, in Spain - Catholics

Answer from LENCHIK[guru]
nationality - gypsies

Answer from Inhuman Visible[guru]
And this is nationality.

Answer from Nastenka))[guru]
gypsy!))

Answer from User deleted[guru]
if I'm not mistaken, then their ancestors are from Bulgaria

IN SEARCH OF THE GYpsy HOMELAND

The ancestral home of the gypsies is India. Ethnographers, historians and the Roma themselves know this. The discovery of this scientific fact dates back to the middle of the 18th century. A Hungarian student at Leiden University, I. Vaya, noticed the similarity of the gypsy language with the language of his fellow students, whose homeland was the Malabar coast. 1 An article about these observations in a Viennese newspaper fell into the hands of the German scientist G. Grellman, who, having compared the Gypsy language with Indian Sanskrit, put forward a hypothesis about the Indian ancestral home of the Gypsies. 2 But only a century later, thanks to the research of the German philologist A. Pott, the hypothesis acquired the form of an evidence-based theory that has not lost its scientific significance to this day. 3 The discovery of the gypsy ancestral home was made on the basis of linguistic analysis, since the range of other sources - archaeological, documentary, which gypsyologists could use - is very limited. The traditional culture of the Roma also exhibits some features that scientists associate with the Indian roots of the people.
There are many other, sometimes unproven, sometimes fantastic, assumptions about the origin of the Gypsies expressed in the literature. The homeland of the gypsies was sought in Assyria and Persia, Zanzibar and Namibia, in Egypt and on the Danube. They were considered the builders of the Egyptian pyramids and the inhabitants of the legendary Atlantis, who sailed on the eve of its disappearance. 4
If the question of the ancestral homeland of the Gypsies has been resolved in ethnographic science, then much remains controversial in Gypsy history. Due to the lack of reliable historical sources, the mysteries of early Gypsy history have not been fully revealed, although scientists have repeatedly expressed hypotheses and assumptions. The most controversial questions are about when and why the ancestors of the gypsies left their ancestral home, which Indian people went to look for a new homeland.
Scientists still argue about when the ancestors of the gypsies left India. Some authors call it the 5th century, others - the 10th century. The authors of the monograph “History of the Gypsies: A New Look” believe that both sides are right: “Small Indian tribes left their homeland century after century, the ancestors of the Gypsies did not go in one camp, having a predetermined goal. Some of the gypsies settled along the road, laying the foundation for the current ethnic groups. Some moved on with rare slowness, the camps circled in the same area for decades, until one day, for economic or social reasons, they moved one hundred to two hundred kilometers to the west.” 5 Russian gypsy scholars E. Druts and A. Gessler argue that the exodus of Gypsies from India lasted about a thousand years, and its culmination occurred at the turn of the first and second millennia, and individual waves of migration continued in subsequent times. 6 Researchers associate the reasons that caused the migrations with internecine wars and constant raids by Muslim conquerors. 7
What people went on a distant nomadic journey? Ethnographers answer this question in different ways. Some consider the gypsies to be the descendants of not one, but many Indian nationalities. Others, such as E. Druts and A. Gessler, note that the gypsies are the descendants of the Indian “house” caste, who once left their homeland. This caste still exists in India, its representatives lead a semi-nomadic lifestyle, engage in blacksmithing and other crafts, as well as singing and dancing. Caste refers to the lower strata of Indian society. 8
N. Demeter, N. Bessonov... do not agree with this point of view and believe that the ancestors of the Gypsies occupied a middle position in the caste hierarchy. Studying the way of life of the gypsies, they came to the conclusion that at the courts of the Indian princes there was a special social stratum, whose representatives entertained them with music and dancing, and were also busy with housework and crafts, which explains the gypsies’ craving for gold and jewelry, a nomadic image life. 9
The path that the gypsies took is reconstructed by scientists today as follows: “From India they moved through the territory of modern Iran, Afghanistan and Armenia. The gypsies who settled in Central Asia, Armenia, and Persia formed the basis of the ethnographic groups of gypsies in this region that exist to this day (Mugat, Karachi, Bosha, etc.). Then a division occurred, some of the gypsies moved towards Palestine and Egypt, where they remained, some headed... to the territory of Byzantium.” 10

From field observations
The question of the origin of the Gypsies has always been the focus of our field research: what the people remember, how they explain their origin. It turned out that almost everyone in the camp knew about India as the homeland of their distant ancestors. Some learned about this from magazines and popular science publications, others - from their parents. Even Zambila Georgievna Kulay (born 1914), the oldest in the camp, also told us that the gypsies came from India. Someone takes the fact of the Indian ancestral home on faith, agreeing with the researchers; someone knows about this, but does not believe it, believing that the homeland of the gypsies is somewhere closer, for example in Moldova.
Some people seriously think about their roots and even put forward their own versions of the word “gypsies”: “In India there is the Ganges River, it is also called Ghana, and the gypsies used to live there near the river. And then it started, people from Ghana are Ghanaians. But they didn’t call them gans, but added the letter c and it turned out – gypsies.”*

Indian films also remind the gypsies of their commonality with India: the gypsies understand some words. Someone speaks out more definitely: “They sing Indian songs, we understand the first verse, and by the second verse we can sing along.”
More ancient “own” traditions and legends about the origin of the Gypsy people were also preserved in the camp. Here are just a few of them that we were able to record.
The following legend is known about how different peoples came into the world and why they differ from each other: “Before, there were no different peoples on earth. And God brought people to his garden of Eden. And there grew different trees, pears, plums, and apples. And everyone went to the tree that he liked. So different peoples went, who ate which fruit. The gypsy woman went and ate herself a plum. That's how our parents came from the plum tree. She didn’t go where the apples are, where the pears are, but went where the plums are, and so the gypsies went. The Tatars ate peas. When they ate peas, they said: “God helps. As long as peas grow, so much for people to be healthy.” The Uzbek ate an olive, black and juicy. Even now they are as black as their faces, like an olive. The Russians ate the apples. She went and saw a beautiful apple hanging on a branch, so she went and ate it. And, it’s true, Russians love apples. And the Jews went to where the pears were. And pears, you know, they are as long as a nose. Jews have a long nose, like a pear. Romanians, they are beautiful, there is no more beautiful, they are like beautiful grapes. They also used to have chaises. They drove and looked: this is an apple, this is a pear, they passed this, and where the grapes are, they stopped, took two or three branches for themselves, ate, and they became so beautiful, cute, more beautiful than each other. And the Bulgarians ate apricots, they are also beautiful. And the gypsies went to the plum tree. The first girl was, she was three or four years old, she ate a plum, one, another, a third, that’s why the gypsies are as dark as a plum. So the Moldovan and All-Union gypsies went from the plum tree.”
The answer to the question of why the gypsies wander, why they do not have their own land, we find in an ancient gypsy legend: “There is a legend that God did not give them land. When God divided the land, he forgot about the gypsies. And one gypsy went to God with tears in his eyes and said: “Why did you, God, do this to me, you gave land to everyone, but didn’t give it to me?” Then God said to this: “I will give you intelligence so that you can live by your own intelligence and cunning. And to get his piece of bread with this. And the whole world will be at your feet. And you will get your piece of bread with your intelligence and cunning, you will survive wherever you go.”
Another gypsy legend explains why gypsies are allowed to cheat: “God allowed the gypsies to cheat. When Jesus Christ was carried to crucifixion, the gypsy stole a nail, the last nail with which they wanted to pierce the heart. And the gypsy stole this nail. When asked, he said: “By God, I didn’t take it!” I took this nail and swallowed it. And thereby slightly extended the life of Jesus Christ. God told him again that you will live by your cunning. From this, the gypsies developed cunning. There is such a legend that it was God who came up with the idea for us so that our people would guess, so that we could live with our minds, with our cunning.” This legend, in different versions, is widespread not only among gypsies, but also among other peoples.

BYZANTINE PERIOD

Historians date the appearance of gypsies in Byzantium to the 12th - 13th centuries. There is also an earlier date - the 11th century. The gypsies stayed in Byzantium for quite a long time before moving on - towards Eastern and Western Europe.
The Byzantine period of Gypsy history, according to historians, was quite significant for the ethnic group. Researchers of Gypsy ethnic history argue that the formation of the Gypsies as a people occurred precisely in Byzantium, where they stayed for about three hundred years, and ended by the beginning of the 15th century. 11 The few surviving historical sources mention such activities of the gypsies as fortune telling and animal training (snake spelling and bear driving), making sieves and sieves, and blacksmithing. It was in Byzantium that the gypsies became acquainted with Christianity. In one of the sources of the 14th century. we read: “These people... adhered to the rites of the Greek Orthodox Church.” 12 Christianity became the main religion of most ethnographic groups of Roma in Western and Eastern Europe. The Greek language had a noticeable influence on the Gypsy language: dozens of words and some forms of word formation were borrowed. The Russian name for the people, Gypsies, comes from the Greek word “antsinganos”. 13 Researchers also associate the origin of the Roma ethnonym with the Byzantine period of Gypsy history. 14 Some gypsy scholars believe that gypsies learned fortune telling precisely in Byzantium, where at that time superstitions and belief in the possibility of predicting fate were quite strong. 15
Beginning of the 15th century marked by the expansion of Muslims, as a result, the territory of the empire began to shrink, the size of the Gypsy population increased, which, apparently, was the reason for the “great Gypsy campaign” in Western Europe, which began in 1417.

From field observations
It is quite difficult to imagine how the gypsies dispersed throughout the world. However, probably, each camp has preserved its own legends, which reveal the gypsy history. The Perm Kalderar gypsies also have them. Here is one of them, told by Grancho Dodovich Butso (born 1941): “My grandfather had six brothers. From one brother the camp is located in Russia, and the rest dispersed all over the world during the revolution and before the war. Before the war, there was such a case, I heard from my father. A controversial issue came up in the camp, they argued, maybe because of the daughter-in-law, they had a fight, a petty matter. And they decided to separate for a while, they thought for a week, for a month, maybe for two weeks. But it turned out that they separated very far. Some ended up in Russia, while others abroad. After the war, the Hungarian gypsies told us that our relatives had left on a ship for America. But we knew nothing about them. And just recently our gypsies from Penza traveled to Argentina. It so happened that the Penza gypsies (also Kalderars) have relatives living in Argentina. Gypsies came from Argentina to Penza and said that our relatives also lived in Argentina. My father's cousin lives there and his children live there. Each camp has a nickname. We are a kind of Ruvoni (from the gypsy ruv - wolf). Our family has a camp in Perm and Argentina.”

HISTORY OF THE GYPSIES AFTER THE 15TH CENTURY

The gypsies who moved to Western Europe formed the basis of modern ethnographic groups of the gypsy population (Kale, Travels, Sinti, Polish Roma), living in England, Germany, France, Poland and other countries. A special ethnographic group, the Russian Gypsies, originates from the Western European branch.
However, not all gypsies at the beginning of the 15th century. left the territory of Byzantium. A significant part of them continued to live in the Greek regions, where the ethnographic groups Arlia, Rumelia, Fichira, and Jambaza subsequently formed. Quite a few gypsies ended up in neighboring territories: Serbia, Albania, Romanian and Hungarian lands. These gypsies formed the basis of the Eastern European branch of the gypsy people - the ethnographic groups of Serva, Vlahurya, Ursar, Crimea, Kishinevtsy, Lovarya, Kelderar, etc. They performed with trained animals and led a semi-nomadic lifestyle. Among the gypsies there were blacksmiths, tinkers, butchers, painters, shoemakers, watchmen, wool beaters, walkers, and tailors. 16 Some of the Roma, finding themselves under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, converted to Islam.
The situation of the gypsies in the Moldavian and Volosh principalities, dependent on the Ottoman Empire, was difficult. Here, from the 15th century, the gypsies became a dependent population - slaves and serfs, belonging to the boyar, monastery or state. According to the Moldavian Civil Code, until the mid-nineteenth century, serfs were not allowed to marry free people; they could only marry with the permission of their owners, and they could also be sold. Only state serfs were allowed to lead a nomadic lifestyle. Since 1829, when Moldavia and Wallachia came under the jurisdiction of Russia, a gradual process of abolition of slavery began, which was finally enshrined in the Constitution of 1864. 17
The Gypsies who lived in the territory subject to the Habsburg Empire (Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia) also experienced pressure from local authorities, who outlawed them. Since the end of the 18th century, as part of the state’s assimilation policy, Gypsies were issued passports with new names, and unsuccessful attempts were made to impose a sedentary lifestyle on the Gypsies. However, the Roma received civil rights and the opportunity to “grow into” society.
All these events entailed the so-called “migration explosion”, as a result of which the Gypsies of the Eastern European branch, especially the Kelderars in the 19th century. began to leave the formation area. Gypsy camps of Kelderars appeared in Western Europe, Poland, Russia and other countries. 18

As a result of a complex ethnic history, different ethnographic groups of the Roma people have formed, each of which is distinguished by a special dialect, religion, occupations, its own way of life (including food, utensils, housing), traditional costume, and worldview. Many ethnocultural features of a particular ethnographic group are determined by the interaction of Roma with the local population.

From field observations
When conducting surveys, we were surprised how well the Perm Roma know about other ethnographic groups of Roma. We were told about the differences in language, way of life, occupations, and “laws.” Perm Moldavian gypsies know such ethnographic groups as Russian gypsies Laetsi (as Moldavian gypsies call Russian gypsies), Crimeans (Crimean gypsies), Lovaris, Vlahuris, Plaschuns, Servas, that is, almost all groups that inhabit Russia.
Moldavian gypsies believe that their Russian gypsy language has many words borrowed from the Russian language, and the pronunciation of individual sounds and words differs from the dialect of Moldavian gypsies. It is also noted that there are more Laetsi in Russia and they are settled almost throughout the country: “In any region you can meet Russian gypsies, albeit not many, but there are two or three families, even in the Far North.” Unlike Russian and Moldavian gypsies, the Crimeans profess Islam, so their life is noticeably different from the life of Russian and Moldavian gypsies. Moldovan gypsies note that Russian gypsies have less preserved old traditions. For example, women have long abandoned the traditional costume and wear dresses. Crimean gypsies, on the contrary, strictly adhere to the old “laws”.

Gypsies in Russia and the Kama region

Ethnographic groups of gypsies penetrated the territory of Russia in different ways and at different times. The question of the time of the appearance of gypsies in Russia has always caused difficulties for researchers. The borders of the Russian state changed at different periods of its history. Often the annexed territories were already inhabited by gypsies who had settled there before they became part of the Russian Empire.
Today in Russia you can meet gypsies not only from the largest ethnographic groups - Russian gypsies (self-name - Russian Roma) and Kelderars (Kotlyars), but also gypsies - people from the Central Asian regions and Transcaucasia, Ukrainian gypsies (servas), Crimean gypsies, gypsies -Vlachs, Lovaris, Chisinau residents, etc. The history of the appearance of each ethnographic group in Russia has its own characteristics, the study of which would be the subject of a separate study. We will dwell only on those historical events that brought the gypsies of the ethnographic groups Russian Roma, Crimean gypsies and Kelderars to Russia.
Russian Gypsies - Russian Roma - are one of the ethnographic groups of Gypsies of the Western European branch. They came to Russia at the end of the 17th century. In one of the sources of that time you can read: “Gypsies are people in Poland, and Poidosha is from the Germans...”. 19 This is how the gypsies came to Russia. The places of their former residence are also indicated by many German and Polish words found in the language of Russian gypsies. Already on the territory of Russia, a special ethnographic group was formed from the newly arrived gypsies - the Russian gypsies. This is one of the largest ethnographic groups of Roma in Russia. However, they are not homogeneous, but consist of several regional subgroups: Siberians, Smolensk Roma... etc. In Russia, Russian Gypsies led a semi-nomadic lifestyle. In the summer they moved, roamed, and in the winter they stayed in Russian villages where they rented huts. Russian gypsies are Orthodox by religion. Traditional activities include trading and bartering horses, begging, fortune telling, and horse stealing. It was Russian gypsies at the beginning of the 19th century in Moscow who formed the basis of the gypsy choirs that were so popular in Russia.
Crimean gypsies (Kyrymitika Roma) got their name from their place of residence - Crimea, where they moved from the Balkans. Scientists believe that in the past the Crimean gypsies were Christians, but, most likely, they converted to Islam already in the Balkans. The foreign cultural environment affected the culture of the Crimean gypsies; they are fluent in the Tatar language, and many borrowed Tatar words are noted in their language. The traditional occupations of the gypsies of this group were blacksmithing and jewelry making. There were also musicians, cab drivers, and horse traders among them. Along with fortune telling, women were engaged in the cosmetics trade. Crimean gypsies became part of the Russian Empire from the time of the annexation of Crimea. 20
The gypsies of the third ethnographic group - the Kelderars - appeared in Russia only in the 19th century. century. The area of ​​their formation and residence until the mid-nineteenth century, as we noted, was the Romanian lands. The first Kelderari camps entered Russia in the 70s. XIX century from Moldova, where many gypsies of this group lived. A particularly powerful wave of their resettlement occurred at the turn of the late 19th - early 20th centuries.
Among the Perm gypsies of this group, many legends have also been preserved about the time of the resettlement of one or another camp to Russia. According to the stories of the oldest resident of the gypsy camp, Zambila Georgievna Kulai (b. 1914), her father’s camp came to Russia from Moldova in 1923. Grancho Dodovich Butso (b. 1941) recalls, from the words of his parents, that one of the clan’s camps Ruvoni came to Russia from Moldova in the 1930s and for a long time roamed the territory of Ukraine, Belarus and Western Russia.
The traditional occupation of men was crafts - making and tinning boilers, and for women - fortune telling. Today, Kelderar gypsies live in many cities and regions of Russia: Leningrad, Tula, Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Izhevsk, Irkutsk, Tyumen, Penza, Kazan, etc.

The Soviet period was an important and extremely difficult stage in the history of the Roma in Russia. On the one hand, even in the pre-war period, the government was taking a number of measures aimed at the socio-economic and cultural development of the Roma population of Russia. Decrees were adopted on the priority allocation of land to the Roma, on assistance in the transition to a sedentary lifestyle, and on the creation of Roma artels. Literature appeared in the Gypsy language. However, by the end of the 1930s, all these initiatives were nullified.
On the other hand, the traditional way of providing for the Gypsies was destroyed, and many sources of the Gypsies' existence disappeared. Crafts, trade, and fortune telling were contrary to the “Soviet way of life.” Ideological pressure and the impoverishment of the population did not allow the Roma to interact with the population in the same way as in pre-revolutionary Russia. The repressions of the 1930s did not spare the Roma population, who were accused of espionage, sabotage, and counter-revolution. Crimean gypsies shared the fate of the Crimean Tatars and were evicted from the territory of traditional residence. 21
Despite the difficult situation, the Roma found their place in Soviet society. Until the 1970-80s, gypsy crafts and trade continued to be in demand in the Soviet Union amid a shortage of consumer goods.
Particularly significant for the nomadic gypsies of Russia was Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR No. 685 of October 20, 1956 “On the introduction to work of gypsies engaged in vagrancy.” It provided for severe punishments, up to 5 years' imprisonment, for the nomadic lifestyle of the Roma population. As a result, almost all groups of gypsies switched to a sedentary lifestyle. 22 The peculiarities of the history of the Gypsies during the Soviet period are easy to see in the example of the Gypsy camp living in the Chapaevsky microdistrict.

It is unknown when the first gypsy camp appeared in Perm. Most likely, these were representatives of the ethnographic group “Russian Gypsies”, who currently make up the bulk of the Gypsy population of the Kama region. The Perm land was a place of nomadism for other groups of gypsies. The population census of Perm in 1890 did not record a single gypsy in the city. 23 A significant number of Gypsies settled in the city of Perm and the Perm region after the adoption of the aforementioned resolution in 1956. According to the 1989 census, 1,492 Gypsies lived in the Kama region. However, the information received does not always reflect the true situation. Thus, in Crimean Gypsies, in their passports and other official documents, you can often find the entry “Tatar” rather than “Gypsy,” and Moldavian Gypsies do the same, registering themselves as Moldovans, Bessarabians, and Romanians. We can say with confidence that, in particular, in the census materials, under the gypsies of the Kama region, apparently only representatives of the ethnographic group of Russian gypsies are noted. Among the three ethnographic groups of gypsies in the Kama region, only Russian gypsies live in Perm, in the cities and districts of the region. Crimean and Moldavian gypsies have diasporas only in Perm.
In the city of Perm, outlying areas with wooden buildings remain the traditional places of compact residence of the Roma population. It is in such conditions that the gypsy way of life can be preserved. Russian gypsies live in Gaiva, Yuzhny, Zaprud, Verkhnyaya Kurye and other areas of the city. There are only a few families of Crimean gypsies in Perm. Moldovan gypsies (Kelderars/Kotlyars) live in the Chapaevsky and Yanvarsky microdistricts.

From field observations
During our stay in the gypsy camp, we met almost all of its inhabitants. Most often, as usual, we turned to old-timers. The real discovery of the expedition was Zambila Georgievna Kulay, one of the oldest gypsies in Perm. We met her during our second visit to the camp, and since then we visited her on every visit. Zambila Georgievna was born in 1914 in Moldova, from where her parents’ camp migrated to Russia in the 1920s. Today, many of Zambila Georgievna’s stories about nomadic life and family legends can be called gypsy history.
Zambila Georgievna is one of the few residents of the camp who remember wandering on gypsy chaises. She is an excellent expert on gypsy folklore. It was from her that we were able to record stories about how different peoples appeared on earth, why it snows and rains, how spots appeared on the moon and many, many others. Once telling us an ancient legend about the appearance of spots on the moon, she took us outside. It was already late evening, and there was a full moon in the sky. “Do you see the spots on the moon? There is a shepherd there with his sheep. Grandma Zambila doesn’t lie.”
More than once we heard from Zambila Georgievna and her children a family legend about their parents. Her father, Georgy, starred in the film “The Last Camp” in the 1930s. Mother Maritsa played in the film “The Camp Goes to Heaven” in a short episode. Zambila Georgievna says that she watches these films with trepidation, looks at her parents, remembers and cries: “Did you see when the movie “The Last Camp” is on? There was an old man who had a bear. And it was my father with the bear. When this movie “The Last Camp” comes on, I cry. I look at my father with the bear, and my tears flow. And the old woman, my mother, “The Camp Goes to Heaven” movie, she goes, tells fortunes, says: “Hey, diamond, let me tell my fortune.” I also cry when I see my mother.”

1. Fairy tales and songs of the Gypsies of Russia. M., 1987. P.4.

2. Druts E., Gessler A. Gypsies. M., 1990. P.11.

3. Tales and songs of the Gypsies of Russia. M., 1987. P.4.

4. Demeter N., Bessonov N.. History of the Gypsies: A New Look. Voronezh, 2000. P.11-12; Nemtsov F. Gypsies. Nature and people. St. Petersburg, 1892. No. 27. P. 427.

5. Demeter N., Bessonov N.. History of the Gypsies: A New Look. Voronezh, 2000. P.14.

6. Tales and songs of the Gypsies of Russia. M., 1987. P.5.

7. Ibid. S.5.

8. Druts E., Gessler A. Gypsies. M., 1990. P.14.

9. Demeter N., Bessonov N.. History of the Gypsies: A New Look. Voronezh, 2000. P.12.

10. Ibid. P.13.

11. Ibid. P.79.

12. Ibid. P.17.

13. Druts E., Gessler A. Gypsies. M., 1990. P.16.

14. Demeter N., Bessonov N.. History of the Gypsies: A New Look. Voronezh, 2000. P.17.

15. Druts E., Gessler A. Gypsies. M., 1990. P.18.

16. Demeter N., Bessonov N.. History of the Gypsies: A New Look. Voronezh, 2000. P.43.

17. Ibid. P.44-48.

18. Ibid. P.52.

19. Druts E., Gessler A. Gypsies. M., 1990. P.24.

20. Demeter N., Bessonov N.. History of the Gypsies: A New Look. Voronezh, 2000. pp. 106-109.

21. Demeter N.G. Gypsies // Peoples of Russia. M., 1994. P.391; Demeter N., Bessonov N.. History of the Gypsies: A New Look. Voronezh, 2000. P.196-209.

22. Demeter N.G. Gypsies // Peoples of Russia. M., 1994. P.391.

23. Chagin G.N., Chernykh A.V. Peoples of the Kama region: Essays on ethnocultural development in the 19th - 20th centuries. P.36.

In the XIV-XV centuries. In Europe, a nomadic people appeared, known as the Gypsies, whose origin, way of 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 regarding the origin of the people. He seems doomed to eternal wandering and has his 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 Roma could not always be determined 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 mass of other theories was generated from the lack of development of complex issues of ethnography and history of the largest national minority group in Europe, which were 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 scientists associated this people with the Central Asian tribe of the Siggins, mentioned by the ancient authors Strabo, Herodotus and others. The theory of Egyptian origin 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 limitless knowledge and skills in the field of sleight of hand, fortune telling and astrology.

The theory of Indian origin arose in the 18th century. The basis for this version was the similarity of the Indian language with the language spoken by the Roma. The origin of the people according to this version is now almost generally accepted. The question of the location of the ancestors of the gypsies in India and the exact time of their exit from the country remains difficult.

The ambiguity of the origin 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 of the population 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, distributed mosaically throughout the world, are heterogeneous in their 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 ethnocultural characteristics. Their traditional nomadism cannot be viewed as a kind of romantic wanderlust or chaotic aimless wanderings. The lifestyle of the people was based on economic reasons. It was necessary to constantly look for markets for the products of the camp 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 their inhabited territories, even when they found themselves in 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, there were still survivors. This is kale 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, and animal trainers were highly valued here.

In Russia, the emergence of new ethnic groups of Roma was associated with the expansion of territory. In 1783, according to the decree of Catherine II, the Gypsies of Russia were classified as peasants, and they were ordered to collect appropriate taxes and taxes. If they wished, they were also allowed to attribute themselves to classes other than the nobility. Thus, by the end of the 19th century, there were many Russian gypsies among the merchant and bourgeois classes.

In the 19th century in Russia there was a steady process of integration of the Roma, their settling in permanent places, which was explained by the improvement in the financial well-being of their families. Natural artistry, which has absorbed a lot from the cultures of different countries, has attracted genuine attention to this people. Russian romances performed by gypsies took on a different coloring. The 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.

Gypsies are one of the most amazing people you can meet 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 until recently scattered people 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 Hitler's racial laws. But if many books have been written and many films have been made about the genocide of Jews - the Holocaust, dozens of museums in different countries are dedicated to this topic, 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 a belief in their own special destiny, which, in fact, helped them survive - after all, both Jews and Gypsies lived for centuries as minorities among other peoples, with languages, customs, and religions alien to them, but at the same time At the same time they were able to maintain their identity. Like the Jews, the gypsies found themselves scattered across different countries in Europe, the Middle East, the Caucasus, and North Africa. Both peoples “kept to their roots”, practically without mixing with the local population. Both Jews and Gypsies have divisions into “us” and “outsiders” (Rom-Gazhe among the Gypsies, Jews-Goyim among the Jews). It is noteworthy that neither one nor the other constituted the majority of the population anywhere - and therefore found themselves without statehood by the beginning of the 20th century.

Before the creation of the State of Israel, Jews from different regions of Eurasia used different languages. Thus, the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe spoke almost exclusively Yiddish, a Germanic language very similar to German, but using the Hebrew alphabet. Persian Jews and Central Asian Jews spoke Judeo-Persian and other Judeo-Iranian languages. Jews of the Middle East and North Africa spoke in various Jewish-Arab dialectsktah. Sephardim, descendants of Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal in the 15th-16th centuries, spoke a Sephardic language (Ladino), close to Spanish.The Roma, who do not have their own statehood, also speak several dialects that differ significantly from each other. Each locality uses its own dialect, with a large amount of borrowed vocabulary. Thus, in Russia, Ukraine, and Romania, dialects with a great influence of Romanian and Russian are used. The Roma people of Western Europe speak dialects with borrowings from German and French. On the periphery of the Gypsy settlement area (modern Finland, Spain, Portugal, Scotland, Wales, Armenia, etc.) they use local languages ​​interspersed with Gypsy vocabulary.

It is noteworthy that not only gypsies incorporate vocabulary into their language, but also “aboriginal” peoples borrow some words. For example, widespread Russian jargons are of gypsy origin: love (money), steal (steal), haval (eat, eat), labat (play a musical instrument). The English words lollipop (lollipop), pal (buddy), chav (chavnik), tiny (small, tiny) are similar. Changes also occurred in the cultural environment: in Russia, especially in the twentieth century, gypsy ensembles became widespread, enjoying enormous popularity among all levels of society. In southern Spain, the gypsies created the musical style of flamenco.

So where did the gypsies come from, why did they end up scattered all over the world, and why are they so disliked wherever they have the misfortune of living? The dark skin color and dark hair color clearly indicate that the ancestors of the gypsies came to Europe from the south. The territory of the North Indian state of Rajasthan is still home to several tribes that are considered related to the current gypsies. The largest of them are the banjars; in addition to the Banjars, the possible ancestors of the Gypsies also include the Chamars, Lohars, Doms and Qajars.

Figure 2. Banjar teenager in festive costume. Rajasthan (Northwest India).
Photo by the author.

Historians have not yet been able to establish for certain when exactly the gypsies set off on their great journey, but it is assumed that this happened in the interval between VI and X centuries AD. The route of movement is more precisely known. Having left North-West India, the nomadic tribes first lived for a long time in the territory of modern Iran and Turkey, from there they began to move north - to the territory of modern Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece. Later, from about XV century, the gypsies, through the territory of modern Romania, began to settle first in the countries of Central Europe (modern Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia), then moved to Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Spain. Around the same time ( XV - XVI century) another branch of the gypsies, having passed from the territory of modern Iran and Turkey through Egypt, settled throughout the countries of North Africa and also reached modern Spain and Portugal. At the end XVII centuries, the gypsies found themselves in the outlying territories of the Russian Empire (modern Baltic states, Crimea, Moldova).

Why did the gypsies leave their homes and go on a long journey? Scientists do not yet know the exact answer, but they suggest that, most likely, several nomadic Indian tribes at some point began to go beyond the traditional settlement area. Currently in India, about five percent of the population constantly migrates - as a rule, these are itinerant artisans whose route is more or less constant. The basis of the nomadic lifestyle of the gypsies and their Indian ancestors was not a “romantic desire to change places,” as some readers may imagine based on the stories of M. Gorky and the films of E. Loteanu, but an economic factor: camp artisans needed markets for their products, artists needed a new audience for their performances, fortune tellers needed a change in clientele. In each specific case, the nomadic area was relatively small - approximately 300-500 square kilometers. This may explain the fact that it took the nomads several centuries to reach Western Europe.

As the nomadic tribes moved further and further from their historical homeland, they became more and more consolidated. In India, many tribes form a separate caste - the total number of castes in this country exceeds 3000, transitions between castes are difficult or completely prohibited. Most likely, the ancestors of modern gypsies who left the territory of Hindustan belonged to different castes (their main occupations were blacksmithing and pottery, basket weaving, making and tinning cauldrons, street performances, fortune telling, etc.). While they were in the territory of present-day Iran and Afghanistan, they did not stand out too much from the indigenous inhabitants - they were almost the same dark-haired and dark-skinned. In addition, there were many nomadic cattle breeders around, so the gypsy lifestyle did not seem special to others.

As the gypsies moved further and further from their historical homeland, their differences in clothing and traditions became increasingly noticeable in comparison with the local population. Apparently, then the various Indian caste tribes began to gradually grow together, forming a new community, which we call “gypsies.”

Other changes were also taking place. One of the largest and most powerful states in X - XIV centuries, on the territory of Europe and Asia Minor there was Byzantium, which at that time occupied the territory of modern Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria. Several hundred years of residence on the territory of Christian Byzantium led to the fact that the gypsies adopted Christianity, apparently this happened around XII - XIV centuries. Byzantine written sources of that time do not in any way distinguish Gypsies from other social and ethnic groups. This indirectly indicates that at that time the Roma were not perceived as a marginal or criminal group.

The Byzantine Empire was one of the longest living empires in history. It existed for more than a thousand years, but by the middle XV century completely faded away and fell under pressure from the Ottoman Turks. As Byzantium faded, the gypsies set off again - they began to settle throughout the lands of the surrounding countries. It was then that the process of marginalization of the Roma began.

Europe XV centuries, it lost to many Eastern countries in technology and living standards. The era of great sea voyages, which opened up new lands and rich opportunities for Europeans, was just beginning. The industrial and bourgeois revolutions, which put Europe at a height unattainable for other countries, were still far away. Europeans at that time lived meagerly, there was not enough food for everyone, and they did not need other people’s mouths at all. The negative attitude towards the gypsies as “extra mouths to feed” was aggravated by the fact that during the collapse of Byzantium, the most mobile, most adventurous groups of gypsies, among whom there were many beggars, petty thieves, and fortune tellers, moved to Europe, as is usually the case during social cataclysms. Honest workers, who at one time received numerous letters of privilege in Byzantium, were apparently in no hurry to move to new lands, hoping to adapt to the new order of the Ottoman Turks. By the time craftsmen, animal trainers, artists and horse traders (representatives of typical gypsy professions) arrived in Central and Western Europe, they fell under the already established negative stereotype of perception and were unable to change it.

An additional factor in the marginalization of the Roma were the guild and territorial restrictions of medieval Europe. The right to engage in crafts was then passed on by inheritance - so the son of a shoemaker became a shoemaker, and the son of a blacksmith became a blacksmith. It was impossible to change profession; In addition, most residents of medieval cities had never been outside the city walls in their entire lives and were wary of all strangers. Gypsy artisans arriving in Central Europe were faced with a hostile and negative attitude from the local population and the fact that, due to guild restrictions, they could not engage in the crafts with which they had long earned a living (primarily working with metal).

Since XVI century, economic relations in Europe began to change. Manufactories arose, which led to the massive ruin of artisans. In England, the need for grassland for the textile industry led to a policy of enclosure, in which peasants were driven off their common lands and the freed-up land was used for sheep grazing. Since unemployment benefits and other mechanisms to support socially vulnerable segments of the population did not exist at that time, the number of vagrants, petty robbers and beggars grew. Cruel laws were passed against them throughout Europe, often imposing the death penalty for begging. Nomadic, semi-nomadic, as well as gypsies who tried to settle, but became bankrupt, became victims of these laws.

Fleeing from persecution by the authorities, the gypsies became more secretive - they moved at night, lived in caves, forests and other secluded places. This contributed to the emergence and widespread dissemination of myths about gypsies as cannibals, Satanists, vampires and werewolves. At the same time, rumors appeared about gypsies kidnapping children (allegedly for food consumption and satanic rituals).

The spiral of mutual mistrust and rejection continued to unwind. Due to the limited or complete absence of legal opportunities for earning money, the gypsies, forced to somehow find food for themselves, increasingly began to engage in theft, robbery and other not entirely legal activities.

Figure 5. Nikolai Bessonov. "Prediction of fate."

In a hostile external environment, the Roma (especially the Roma from Western European countries) began to culturally “close themselves in,” literally and strictly following ancient traditions. In search of a better life, the gypsies gradually began to settle in the countries of Northern and Eastern Europe, moving to the countries of the New World, but almost nowhere did they switch to a sedentary lifestyle and almost nowhere were they able to integrate into local society - everywhere they remained strangers.

In XX century, many countries have made attempts to destroy the traditionalism of the Roma, tie them to a permanent place of residence, and give them the opportunity to earn money through official employment. In the USSR, this policy was relatively successful - about ninety percent of all Roma settled.

The collapse of the Soviet bloc countries led to the destruction of the way of life of the Roma in Eastern Europe and the former USSR. Until the mid-1990s, Roma in the USSR and other Eastern European countries were actively engaged in small-scale underground production, speculation and other similar illegal businesses. The disappearance of shortages and the development of a market economy in the countries of the Soviet bloc deprived the Roma of the niche due to which they prospered in the second half XX century. The low level of education and the lack of a long-term view on the development of their own business led to the fact that the majority of the Roma were squeezed out of the sphere of small trade, thanks to which the Roma flourished in the 1980-1990s.

Impoverished Roma returned to begging, and also became increasingly involved in drug sales, fraud and petty theft. The disappearance of the Iron Curtain in the USSR and the opening of borders in Europe contributed to an increase in Roma migration. For example, Romanian gypsies in the 2010s. began to actively move to the countries of Western and Northern Europe, where they are also mainly engaged in begging and other socially condemned ways of earning money.

So, the gypsies, leaving India about a thousand years ago, gradually dispersed as artisans throughout the Middle East and Asia Minor. As the Byzantine Empire faded, that is, approximately from the beginning XV century, the gypsies gradually began to settle in the countries of Central, Eastern, Northern and Western Europe, and starting from XVIII centuries began to move to the countries of the New World. Faced with the guild restrictions of feudal Europe, the gypsies gradually sank to the social bottom, everywhere eking out dubious, not entirely legal ways of earning money.

In XX century, many countries began to pursue policies to force the ancient nomadic people to a sedentary lifestyle. The younger generation of Roma began to attend schools, secondary specialized and higher educational institutions; Engineers, doctors, and scientists appeared among representatives of a people who had been illiterate for centuries.

What will happen next? It seems that the Roma will either be marginalized again, sinking to the social bottom, or will gradually integrate into the society around them, raising their educational and cultural level, mastering modern professions and adopting skills and customs from more successful peoples. The path of gradual assimilation is also possible - for example, already now the gypsy groups of the British Isles, Transcarpathia and Central Asia have completely or almost completely lost their native language. In those countries where they can gain access to education, Roma will gradually integrate more and more into the world around them on decent terms. In these regions, while maintaining their originality, they will be able to create a new level of culture, rethink traditions - just as the South Koreans or Finns rethought their traditions, going from a primitive economy to economic prosperity in several decades XX century. Where this works out, friction between the gypsies and the indigenous population will decrease, and the original, vibrant customs of the ancient nomadic people will attract the interest not of law enforcement officials, but of tourists, historians and the general public.

In addition to Jews and gypsies, that list also included those born with congenital neurological and somatic diseases, homosexuals, the mentally retarded, people with mental illnesses and many other categories of people - from Hitler’s point of view, all of them were inferior, and because of this, they were initially subject to all sorts of restrictions, then - isolation and destruction.

Most modern states, especially European ones, were formed in the 17th - 19th centuries on the basis of the national identity of the peoples inhabiting the corresponding territory. In the bulk of modern states, representatives of the titular people make up the overwhelming majority of the population.

Most modern gypsies consider themselves Christians, although the gypsy version of Christianity differs from all other faiths and movements. At the same time, the Roma living in the territory of the Ottoman Empire and other Muslim states actively converted to Islam.

It is noteworthy that the attitude towards Jews and Gypsies among European peoples was very similar. Despite the fact that many Jews were able to find a way to socially integrate into the life of European society, at the everyday level they were presented with the same complaints as the gypsies: kidnapping of babies, satanic rituals, etc. Just like the gypsies, the Jews responded by withdrawing even more within their community (they did not communicate with non-Jews, did business only with fellow believers, did not marry non-Jews, etc.), which caused even greater rejection. At the everyday level, anti-Semitism, as well as anti-Gypsy sentiments, were widespread - without them, the terrible German racial laws would not have been enforced.

Both carrot and stick methods were used. Thus, laws were passed providing for the criminal prosecution of gypsy vagabonds (they were equated with parasites). At the same time, local authorities really made efforts to integrate and assimilate the Roma - they were employed, they were provided with housing, and their level of education was improved. The world's first gypsy theater "Romen" was created in the USSR, which still exists today.

- Bohemiens(“Bohemians”, “Czechs”), Gitans(garbled Spanish Gitanos) or Tsiganes(borrowing from Greek - τσιγγάνοι, Tsingani), Germans - Zigeuner, Italians - Zingari, the Dutch - Zigeuners, Hungarians - Cigany or Faraok nepe(“Pharaoh’s tribe”), Georgians - ბოშები (boshebi), Finns - mustalaiset(“black”), Kazakhs - sygandar, Lezgins - karachiyar(“hypocrites, pretenders”); Basque - Ijitoak; Albanians - Jevgjit(“Egyptians”); Jews - צוענים (tso'anim), from the name of the biblical province of Tsoan in Ancient Egypt; Persians - کولی (koli); Lithuanians - Čigonai; Bulgarians - Tsigani; Estonians - “mustlased” (from “Must” - black). Currently, ethnonyms from the self-name of a part of the gypsies, “Roma” (English) are becoming increasingly widespread in various languages. Roma, Czech Romové, Finnish romanit, etc.).

Thus, in the names of the gypsy population that are “external” in origin, three predominate:

• reflecting early ideas about them as immigrants from Egypt;
• distorted versions of the Byzantine nickname “atsinganos” (meaning “fortune tellers, magicians”);
• designations of “blackness” as a distinctive feature of appearance, made in different languages ​​(typically, one of the self-names of the gypsies is also translated as “black”)

Romani people 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. The number of European gypsies, according to various estimates, ranges from 8 million to 10-12 million people. There were officially 175.3 thousand people in the USSR (census). According to the 2010 census, about 220 thousand Roma live in Russia.

National symbols

In honor of the first World Gypsy Congress, April 8 is considered Gypsy day. Some gypsies have a custom associated with it: in the evening, at a certain time, they carry a lighted candle along 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 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. The cerebral sound, relatively speaking, is a cross between the sounds “r”, “d” and “l”. According to linguistic studies, the Roma of Europe and the Roma of Asia and the Caucasus were the three main "streams" of migrants from India. Under the name d'om, low-caste groups appear in various areas of modern India today. Despite the fact that modern houses in India are difficult to directly relate to the gypsies, their name has a direct connection with them. The difficulty is to understand what the connection was in the past between the ancestors of the Gypsies and the Indian houses. The results of linguistic research conducted back in the 20s. 20th century by the prominent Indologist-linguist R.L. Turner, and which is shared by modern scientists, in particular, the linguists-Romologists J. Matras and J. Hancock, 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.

As for the so-called Central Asian gypsies, or Lyuli, they, as is sometimes figuratively said, are cousins ​​or even second cousins ​​of the European gypsies. Thus, the Central Asian gypsy population, over the centuries absorbing various streams of migrants from Punjab (including Baloch groups), 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) provides examples of anti-Gypsy laws:

Sweden. A law from 1637 prescribed the hanging of male Gypsies. Mainz. 1714 Death to all Gypsies captured within the state. Flogging and branding of women and children with hot irons. England. According to the law of 1554, the death penalty was for men. According to an additional decree of Elizabeth I, the law was tightened. From now on, execution awaited “those who have or will have friendship or acquaintance with the Egyptians.” Already in 1577, seven Englishmen and one Englishwoman fell under this decree. They were all hanged at Aylesbury. Historian Scott-McPhee counts 148 laws adopted in the German states from the 15th to the 18th centuries. They were all approximately the same, the diversity is only evident in the details. Thus, in Moravia, gypsies had their left ears cut off, and in Bohemia, their right ears. In the Archduchy of Austria they preferred to brand and so on. Perhaps the most cruel was Frederick William 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 showing gypsies cooking human meat

As a result of persecution, the Gypsies of Western Europe, firstly, were heavily criminalized, since they did not have the opportunity to legally obtain food for themselves, and secondly, they were practically culturally conserved (to this day, the Gypsies of Western Europe are considered the most distrustful and committed to literal adherence to ancient traditions). They also had to lead a special way of life: move at night, hide in forests and caves, which increased the suspicion of the population, and also gave rise to rumors about cannibalism, Satanism, vampirism and werewolves of the gypsies, the consequence of these rumors was the emergence of associated myths about kidnapping and especially children (for consumption or for satanic rites) and about the ability to perform 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 soldier recruitment was active (Sweden, Germany). Their families were thereby also taken out of harm's way. 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 among other gypsies they bore the nickname, roughly translated as “army gypsies.”

The repeal of anti-Gypsy laws coincides with the beginning of the industrial revolution and Europe's recovery from the economic crisis. After the repeal of these laws, the process of integration of Roma into European society began. Thus, 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 thanks to which they were recognized and even began to be valued: they they sheared sheep, weaved baskets, traded, were hired as day laborers in seasonal agricultural work, and were dancers and musicians.

However, by that time, anti-Gypsy myths were already firmly rooted in the European consciousness. Now traces of them can be seen in fiction, linking gypsies with a passion for child abduction (the goals of which are becoming less and less clear over time), werewolves and service to vampires.

By that time, the abolition of anti-Gypsy laws had not occurred in all European countries. Thus, in Poland, on November 3, 1849, a decree was passed on the arrest of nomadic gypsies. For each Roma detained, the police were paid bonuses. As a result, the police captured not only nomadic, but also sedentary gypsies, recording those detained as vagrants and children as adults (to get more money). After the Polish Uprising of 1863, this law became invalid.

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

Gypsies in Eastern Europe (XV - early XX centuries)

Migration of Roma 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 based on kinship and profession. The main crafts were working with iron and precious metals, carving household items from wood, and weaving baskets. Nomadic gypsies also lived in these areas, who also engaged in crafts or circus performances using trained bears.

The sons and heirs of the deceased Serdar Nikolai Nico, in Bucharest, are selling 200 families of gypsies. Men are mostly metalworkers, goldsmiths, shoemakers, musicians and farmers.

Monastery of St. Elijah offered 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 (second half of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century)

In modern Eastern Europe, less often in Western Europe, Roma are often the target of discrimination in society, especially from right-wing extremist parties; in 2009, attacks on Romanian Roma in Northern Ireland were reported

At the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries, Europe and Russia were swept by a wave of Roma migrations. Impoverished or marginalized Roma from Romania, western Ukraine and the 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 in the world; the women of these gypsies have returned en masse to the ancient traditional occupation of 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 among teenagers has become acute. Quite often, gypsies began to be mentioned in crime chronicles 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 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. Israel and neighboring countries are home to a community of gypsies known as the Dom people. By religion, the house is Muslim and speaks one of the dialects of the Gypsy language (the so-called Domari language). Until 1948, in the ancient city of 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 "The Gypsies of Jaffa" (Hebrew: הצוענים של יפו‎), the last of which was written by Nissim Aloni, the famous Israeli playwright. The play has come to be considered a classic of Israeli theater. Like many Jaffa Arabs, most of this community left the city due to the call of neighboring Arab countries. The descendants of the community are believed [ Who?], now live in the Gaza Strip, and it is unknown 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 they have the status of permanent residents, their nationality is defined as “Arabs”. In total, the community house in Israel numbers about two hundred families, most of them from the Bab al Huta area, in East Jerusalem near the Lion Gate. Members of the community live in very poor conditions: most of them are unemployed and live only on benefits from Israeli social security, they have no education, and some of them cannot read or write. The birth rate among the Domari is high, 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 the non-profit organization Domari: The Gypsy Society of Jerusalem to protect the name of the community. ,

In October 2012, the head of the Roma quarter of East Jerusalem appealed to the mayor of the capital, Nir Barkat, with a request for assistance in obtaining Israeli citizenship for his compatriots. According to him, the Roma are much closer in their views to Jews than to Arabs: they love Israel, and their children would like to serve in the IDF. According to a community leader, Israeli Roma have practically forgotten their language and speak Arabic, while Palestinians and Israeli Arabs consider the Roma 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 originally 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 Cortes, 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 subsequently Spanish Calais and Portuguese Calons (groups related to each other) began to move in small groups to Latin America in search of a better life.

The largest wave of resettlement of European gypsies to Latin America occurred in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. The most noticeable part of the settlers were the Kelderars, among the remaining gypsies we can mention the Lovars, Ludars, as well as groups of Balkan gypsies known collectively as Khorakhane. Both Kale and Calons continued to move to America.

Among all the gypsies of Latin America, running a small business selling cars is very popular.

Gypsies in the Caucasus countries

Roma in different countries are characterized by uneven development of areas of high culture. Thus, the majority of gypsy artists are natives of Hungary, the most developed musical culture among the gypsies of Russia, Hungary, Romania, Spain, the Balkan countries, gypsy literature is currently more developed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine and Russia, acting art - 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 "large" ethnic groups

There are six main branches of gypsies. Three Western:

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

And three eastern ones:

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

There are also “small” gypsy groups that are difficult to attribute to any specific branch of the gypsies, such as the British Kales and Romanichels, the Scandinavian Kales, the Balkan Horakhanes, and the Arkhangelsk Tsygobites.

In Europe, there are a number of ethnic groups 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 subset of Roma, rather than as a separate ethnic group.

The image of gypsies in world artistic culture

Gypsies in world literature

• Notre Dame Cathedral - novel by V. Hugo France
• Ice House - novel by A. Lazhechnikov Russia
• The Living Corpse - 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 Tchertopkhanov - I. Turgenev Russia
• Carmen - short story by Prosper Merimee France
• The Stars of Eger - a novel by Geza Gordoni Hungary
• Makar Chudra, Old Woman Izergil - stories by M. Gorky Russia
• Gypsy Aza - play by A. Staritsky Ukraine
• Gypsy - M. Cervantes Spain
• Gypsy Romancero - collection of poems by Federico Garcia Lorca Spain
• The Pipe - a story by Yuri Nagibin USSR
• Gypsy - story, novel by Anatoly Kalinin USSR
• Gypsy Lady - novel by S. Busby USA
• Losing Weight - novel by S. King USA

Many famous poets also devoted 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: “Gypsy with cards, the road is long...” ( Video)
• “Fortune Teller” - song from the movie “Ah, vaudeville, vaudeville...”
• “Gypsy Choir” - Alla Pugacheva
• “Valenki” - Lidia Ruslanova
• “Gypsy Wedding” - Tamara Gverdtsiteli ( Video)
• “Shaggy Bumblebee” - song from the movie “Cruel Romance” based on poems by 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" - Ektomorf
• "Cigany" - Ektomorf
• "Gipsy King" - Patrick Wolf
• "Hometown Gypsy" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• "Gypsy Blues" - Night Snipers
• "The camp goes into the sky" - Calvados

Films about gypsies

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