Guest guest Posted July 26, 2002 Report Share Posted July 26, 2002 Anyone know any ex-Gypsies who have become vaisnavas ? The gypsies are originally coming from India, going to Persia as hired musicians to the King and his court. From there,they went all over the muslim empire,this is why the music in those parts is similar to Indian music,it was brought by Gypsies. From the middle east they went to egypt(europeans thought they were egyptians ,and called them gypsies), Turkey and on into Europe many hundreds of years ago. They forgot where they came from long ago. Until not very long ago,their origins were unknown. After studying their language,it was decided that the only languages in the world that are similar are in India,and they are very similar. The musical documentry video "Latcho drom" shows a chronological history of Gypsy music as it expanded from India to the present. They have an insular society. And are very close knit,and cult like in their "varied activities." [This message has been edited by shiva (edited 07-27-2002).] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted July 29, 2002 Report Share Posted July 29, 2002 I have read a little about the gypsies in the past. It is true they are originally from India, but left I believe (if I recall correctly) due to persecutions. The thing is they don't really follow any Hindu religion. Instead it is more a belief in spirits etc... I guess it must be more of an oral tradition, as I am unaware of any scripture they follow. Somewhere in the back of my mind I recall something about their belief of an original "King of the gypsies" who started it all. But now it this idea has become more of a joke, as gypsies have used it to scam others by claiming "I am the king of the gypsies" etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted July 30, 2002 Report Share Posted July 30, 2002 I got the following from www.religioustolerance.org : Beliefs and Practices of the Roma Centuries in the past, the Roma were some of the last Goddess-worshipers in Europe. Their Goddess, Kali, was viewed as a trinity. Her symbol was a triangle. A male Horned God also played a prominent role. The similarities between ancient Roma belief and that of Wicca are obvious. There is today no single Roma culture. Nor is there general agreement on who should qualify to be called a Roma. Romani groups around the world hold different traditions, customs and beliefs. Groups that have settled in one location generally adsorb some of the gajikané (non-Roma) local culture. Some Roma have converted the religions of their host countries, typically Christianity (Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism), and Islam. Their formal religious affiliation is often supplemented by Roma traditional beliefs: * the existence of Del (God) * the existence of beng (Satan) * the existence of bibaxt (bad luck) and of muló (supernatural spirits or ghosts). * the power of good luck charms, amulets and talismans * the power of curses * the power of healing rituals Marimé is a state of impurity brought on a person by the violation of a purity taboo. It also means a "sentence of expulsion imposed for violation of purity rules or any behavior disruptive to the Roma community." Some Roma consider the part of a woman's body below the waist to be dirty or polluted, because it is associated with menstruation. 8 In many tribes, women wear long skirts, the bottoms of which must not touch a man other than her husband. A pregnant woman is considered unclean. She must not give birth in the family home because it would then become impure. Sometimes knots are ritually untied as the birth approaches. This is believed to assure that the umbilical cord will not be tangled. After birth, anything that the new mother touches is later destroyed. This quarantine continues at least until the baptism of the baby. Newborns are baptized, usually in running water, when they are a few weeks old. Often, the infant is massaged with oil; this is believed to make it strong. A Roma typically has three names. The first is known only by the mother; it is given at the time of birth. Its purpose is to confuse evil spirits by keeping the real name of the child from them. The second name is conferred at the time of baptism, and is the commonly used name within the tribe. A third, different name may be given when the child is re-baptized in a Christian church. It has little importance, except when dealing with non-Roma. In the past, people were typically married between the ages of 9 to 14. This tradition has changed in many tribes due to the influence of the surrounding culture. Pre-marital sex is strongly forbidden. Marriages to outsiders are heavily discouraged. The wedding ceremony is usually simple. In some tribes, the bride and groom join hands in front of the chief or an elder and promise to be true to each other. In ancient times, they used be married by jumping over a broomstick in the presence of their families. When a person dies, relatives and friends gather around and ask for forgiveness for any bad deeds that they have done to that person. They are concerned that if such grievances are not settled, then the dead person might come back as an evil spirit and cause trouble. In the past, the widow might commit suicide when her husband died so that she could accompany him during the afterlife. Sometimes, the deceased's nostrils are plugged with wax so that evil spirits cannot enter and occupy the body. Clothing, tools, eating utensils, jewelry, and money may be placed in the coffin in order to help the deceased in the next world. The deceased's possessions are burned, broken or sold to non-Roma. They believe that a person can be reincarnated as another human or animal. Alternately, they might appear as a muló or "living dead", seeking revenge on anyone who harmed him during his life on earth. Many Roma rules of behavior relate to the use of water. They normally wash in running water, as in a shower. Baths are not used. Women's and men's clothes are washed separately, because of the impurities of a woman's body. Clothes of a pregnant or menstruating woman are washed furthest downstream from the camp, to avoid contamination. Women must not expose their legs. They wear long, multi-colored skirts. Out of respect for the importance of the horse in assuring Roma mobility, the eating of horse meat is prohibited in some tribes. Many Roma women, called drabardi practice fortune telling. But fortunes are only read for non-Romas. Other women are drabarni or drabengi and practice natural healing techniques. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted July 31, 2002 Report Share Posted July 31, 2002 Shiva said: Why they left Idia is debatable,what i have read in most literature is they were a caste of musicians who so impressed a persian king when he was visiting,that he asked the indian raja to send them to him ,they went as hired musicians and entertainers. They are mostly some type of christain. What i find facsinating is their complete ignorance of their indian roots,and their many money making activities. They exist in cult like families,with a king leading each particular clan. This is my understanding as well - that most gypsies have taken on their host country's religion. This is just from what I've read in a cursory manner. It would be interesting to see if any of their folklore/oral traditions have similarities to Indian/Vedic stories. As a side note, I once had a landlord who I swear was a gypsie. He looked like a gypsie (sort of a mediteranean look, olive colored skin etc...) and he owned a wine store. When you entered it, everything was dark, with wooden wine barrels etc... I never knew for certain, but I always made sure I paid my rent on time so as not to get hexed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 31, 2002 Report Share Posted July 31, 2002 all the gypsies i have seen look indian to me. They are mostly a type of christain,one of their beliefs is that Christ gave them the benediction to take advantage of the non gypsies,because a gypsy helped jesus when he was crucified. Their religion is a mix of many things, no conscious connection to India though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 30, 2003 Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 We belive that we are a peace full seeking pepole and that non-gypsy peeps are like out-siders to our ways and tradtions only. Many of our tradtions have simply been forgotten by the younger genaration however, the older try to keep it in there familys by avoiding non-gypsy peeps one of the tradtions is still very much away of life in all (so-called) clans is to marry only gypsy age of marrige iz not 9-14 its more like 17+ in the US any way most gypys today dont have reguler jobs like 9-5 they have very little education so they must go out every day and find some type of work some in auto repair,fortune telling (done by females), others by scaming what ever it maybe the just want to survive like n e one else its rarely heard of for a gypsy to actully hex some one its just away of keeping non-gypsy out of our ways and belives also its rare that a gypsy commits any murders,robberys,rape etc most if any only commit small petty crimes like some bs scam i will admit gypsy peeps are very loud and hard to miss in a crowd most gypsy man are nice friendly type the woman are the mean ones lol more sadly iz that we live fast lives and because of that we die young my mom past at 42, my grandpa 40,my grandma at 51 on avrage a gypsy live only to 60-65 max most die at or around 50 i belive that the reason iz we live fast so we die fast fast meaning every thing must be done quick and no time to jsut relax iam 26 and have 6 children i only have 5th grade schooling my wife iz 29 she had 8th grade schooling we have bought our home this year 2800sq feet wich we are proud of and we live a comfortable life style my kids are going to school iam not making that mistake of not letting them finish school like i have i do all types of things for income paving, landscaping, construction, roofing, auto repair wich most of i learned by trial and error but i always achive the best at anything i do i am well like among other gypys peeps and non-gypsy alike for being the best at what ever it may be i would like to tell you more but i dont have time:) so hopfully i shed some light on the subject peace and love to all god bless PS: we are all human no matter race,religion,belives, or any thing else for that matter if you live on earth your human Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 Thank you for your insight into the gypsies. I've read that there are many gypsies in Romania and they tend to be treated very poorly. In fact, I think Romania has had to promise protection to the gypsy minority in order to gain access into the European Union. That is a good thing. Thanks for your insight. If you have anything you could tell us about Gypsy religion I'd be interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxvvii Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 As I know, "roma" is the variant of "Doma". I read an article on Romani & then surprised at less repetition of it in declension than that of Skt., such as "as" & "bhyas". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 24, 2003 Report Share Posted August 24, 2003 hi folks... it was nice to read all that you had written...some recently and some a little long ago... I am from virginia and i am a (graphic) designer... i am doing a project at university and i have been involved in research about the gypsies...the roms... id love it if you could send me some traditional pictures of the roms and their traditions.. please mail me... tonicdose@ thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.