Customs and traditional culture of Russian gypsies. Ay-na-ne-na-ne

Gypsies are perhaps one of the most incomprehensible and mythologized peoples on our planet, and this has been the case for many centuries. There are rumors around the world that when gypsies come to a city, they seduce men and women and then steal everything in sight, including children. There are also many myths about cunning and mysterious gypsy fortune tellers and gypsy camps. In any case, even if we put all myths and misconceptions aside, the Roma remain one of the most interesting ethnic groups in history.

1. Where did they come from?

The origins of the Gypsies are shrouded in mystery. At times it seemed that they appeared on the planet in some mysterious way. This in itself may have created a sense of fear among Europeans and contributed to the atmosphere of mystery surrounding the Gypsies. Modern scholars suggest that the Gypsies originally migrated en masse from India in the fifth century.

This theory suggests that their flight was linked to the spread of Islam, which the Roma were desperate to avoid in order to protect their religious freedom. This theory states that the Gypsies migrated from India to Anatolia and further to Europe, where they split into three separate branches: the Domari, the Lomavren, and the Gypsies themselves. Another theory suggests that there were as many as three separate migrations over several centuries.

2. Nomadic lifestyle of gypsies

Many stereotypes have long been formed around the gypsies. Who doesn’t know the phrase “gypsy soul” (which is used in relation to freedom-loving people). According to these stereotypes, gypsies prefer to live outside the “mainstream” and eschew social norms in order to be able to lead a nomadic lifestyle full of fun and dancing. The truth is much darker.

For many centuries, Roma were often forcibly expelled from the countries in which they lived. Such forced evictions continue to this day. Many historians have suggested that the true reason for the nomadic lifestyle of the Gypsies is very simple: survival.

3. Gypsies have no homeland

Gypsies are people without a specific citizenship. Most countries refuse to grant them citizenship, even if they were born in that country. Centuries of persecution and their closed community have led to the fact that the Roma simply have no homeland. In 2000, the Roma were officially declared a non-territorial nation. This lack of citizenship makes the Roma legally "invisible".

Although they are not subject to the laws of any country, they cannot access education, healthcare and other social services. Moreover, Roma cannot even obtain passports, making their travel very difficult or impossible.

4. Gypsy persecution.

It's worth starting with the fact that the Gypsies were actually enslaved people in Europe, especially in the 14th - 19th centuries. They were exchanged and sold as goods, and they were considered "subhumans." In the 1700s, Empress Maria Theresa of the Austro-Hungarian Empire passed a law that outlawed Gypsies. This was done to force the Roma to integrate into society.

Similar laws were passed in Spain, and many European countries banned Roma from entering their territory. The Nazi regime also persecuted and exterminated Roma by the tens of thousands. Even today the gypsies are persecuted.

5. Nobody knows how many gypsies there are in the world

Nobody knows how many gypsies live around the world today. Due to the discrimination that Roma often face, many of them do not publicly register or identify themselves as Roma. In addition, given their “legal invisibility”, the birth of children without documents and frequent moves, many Roma are listed as missing.

Also problematic is that Roma are not provided with social services, which would help paint a clearer picture of their numbers. However, The New York Times estimates the number of Roma people worldwide at 11 million, but this figure is often disputed.

6. Gypsies are an offensive word

For many people, the term "gypsy" means nomad and is not considered a racial slur. But for the “Roma” themselves (or “Romals” - the self-name of the Gypsies) this word has ominous overtones. For example, according to the Oxford Dictionary, the English word "gypped" (derived from "gypsie" - gypsy) means a criminal act.

Roma, often called gypsies, were considered losers and thieves, a word that was burned into their skin during the Nazi regime. Like many other racial slurs, the word "gypsy" has been used for centuries to oppress the Roma people.

7. Future, inexpensive...

There are many myths surrounding gypsies. One of these myths is that gypsies have their own magic, which has been passed down for centuries from generation to generation. The myth is associated with tarot cards, crystal balls and fortune tellers' tents, as well as other stereotypes. The literature is replete with references to the gypsy language and the magical arts of this people.

In addition, there are many films that show gypsy curses. Even in art, there are many paintings that describe Roma as mystical and magical people. However, many scientists believe that all this magic is fiction, resulting from the fact that people simply did not know anything about the gypsies.

8. Lack of formal religion

European folklore often claims that the Roma made a temple out of cream cheese. Presumably, they ate it during a period of severe famine, so they were left without an official religion. Generally, Gypsies join the church that is most widespread in the country in which they live. However, there are many traditional Romani beliefs. Some scholars believe that there are many connections between Roma beliefs and Hinduism.

9. Modesty

Although gypsy weddings are often accompanied by mass celebrations and luxurious attire, the everyday clothing of gypsies reflects one of their main life principles - modesty. Gypsy dancing is most often associated with women's belly dancing. However, many Romani women have never performed what is considered today belly dancing.

Instead, they perform traditional dances that use only their bellies for movement, not their thighs, as moving the hips is considered immodest. Additionally, the long, flowing skirts typically worn by gypsy women serve to cover their legs, as exposing their legs is also considered immodest.

10. The Gypsy contribution to world culture is enormous

From the very beginning of their existence, the Gypsies were closely associated with singing, dancing and acting. They carried this tradition throughout the centuries and significantly influenced world art. Many Gypsies have assimilated into different cultures, influencing them. Many singers, actors, artists, etc. had gypsy roots.

Mysterious peoples lived on our planet in the past. For example, such as .

Maria Bachenina: Hello!

Konstantin Kuksin: Hello!

Daniil Kuznetsov: Good afternoon.

M.B.: When I invited you to talk about the gypsies, you said that they were your favorite people. In short, why did you love him?

K.K.: I fell in love with the gypsies when I went on my first expedition to them. I prepared seriously, knowing what they were like - I put all the money on the card, and sewed the card under my shirt, because I knew that I would be deceived or robbed right away. And then I became friends with them. And if I had to lead a nomadic life, I would probably live with the gypsies. This people seemed interesting and close to me from the very beginning, and quite recently I learned that my great-grandfather was a gypsy. I kept thinking that my grandmother was Jewish: dark-haired, Yakovlevna. And my dad recently told me that my great-grandfather was a gypsy. Gypsy Yakov, violinist, 13 children.

M.B.: How did you come to an agreement with them? It's like coming to someone else's house and asking to stay.

K.K.: What is the work of a field anthropologist or ethnographer anyway? We arrive, we see a yurt in the steppe, we go in, we say that we came from afar, we study different cultures. The saving grace is that almost all the people are hospitable. You are invited, and then, in the process of communication, the relationship either works out or it doesn’t. If they don’t work out, which I didn’t have, I have to go to another yurt, tent, yaranga. But usually the relationship works out, and you stay there. They are also interested: an unusual person has arrived from afar. The question always arises of who is studying whom: we them or they us.

It was difficult with the gypsies because they are a closed community. They divide everyone into friends and strangers. Gypsies are " romale", "Roma".

M.B.: That's what they call themselves, right?

K.K.: Yes, this is a self-name. And everyone else - "drop sheets". "Gazhi" ("gadzhi") are not gypsies, they treat them badly. If the drywall is treated poorly, then you can deceive them, deceive them, this is not a sin. It is very difficult to understand this line between "gazhi" and "romale". And if you manage to do this, then the gypsies become your friends and begin to trust you.

D.K.: And how does this happen?

K.K.: Differently. For example, with one group of gypsies I did this: I bought an accordion at the market, came to the camp and started playing it, the gypsy children came running and dragged me to the camp. The men forge there, I can forge. And in the evening we danced together. Somewhere the gypsies live poorly, but we bought a car of food, came to them, fed them and began: singing and dancing.

Gypsies are afraid of strangers because they do not always officially live in the territory and they do not always have documents. What if you're from the police? If they see that you are an ordinary person, then they begin to trust.

And how it was with fortune telling: we arrived at the camp and asked to tell fortunes. The gypsies said that they would tell their fortunes, but later. And then we became friends, sang and danced. We wake up in the morning, ask them to tell their fortunes again, and they tell us that they can’t: they don’t tell fortunes for their own people. But they promised, so they got into the car, brought a fortune teller from a neighboring camp, and she told us fortunes.

M.B.: So they don't tell each other's fortunes?

K.K.: Gypsies should not deceive each other.

D.K.: Is fortune telling always a lie?

K.K.: Not always. But this is an opportunity to make money. And the opportunity to earn money is always a little deception. As the Russians say, if you don't cheat, you won't sell.

M.B.: Do they participate in the population census?

K.K.: Yes but not all. Finding out exactly how many gypsies there are is very difficult.

M.B.: How are they treated in the world?

K.K.: Differently. In general, Russians initially treat Gypsies well. It’s just that we are such a people, we basically treat everyone well. We may laugh at someone, but we still love them. If Russians were different, there would be no Russian Federation. But somehow we all live together.

Gypsies also treat Russians well. They say that Russians are kind, generous and naive - ideal friends. And in Europe there is a sharply negative attitude towards gypsies: in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia. We arrive in Bulgaria, get off the train, the taxi driver says: “Where are your things? Be careful, there are a lot of gypsies here.” We didn’t even dare tell him that we were going to them.

D.K.: So there are stereotypes everywhere that gypsies are thieves and swindlers?

M.B.: Why didn’t they historically organize their own state then?

K.K.: I'll tell you an anecdote from the Tsarist era. “Once a gypsy was asked: “What would you do if you became king?” The gypsy scratched his head and said: “Like what? I would steal a hundred rubles and run away."

M.B.: Clearly, the mentality is not the same.

K.K.: They don't want to and they can't. This is an amazing people, they have been living for many centuries among other ethnic groups and do not dissolve in them. I know two such peoples: Jews and Gypsies. Jews are made whole by the religion of their chosen people, and gypsies are made whole by the feeling that they are gypsies and are not like everyone else. And also the caste system.

M.B.: How is their society structured then? Does it exist - landless, stateless?

K.K.: Yes.

M.B.: What laws, rules, procedures are there?

K.K.: The first is the myth of who the “gypsy baron” is. This has nothing to do with the title of nobility, it is from the gypsy "baro"- big, senior, chief. How to become a baron? For example, I need to bring a camp from Chisinau to Moscow, I agreed with the head of the train. We arrived, there were problems with the police, I went and made an agreement. In general, if I take responsibility, then people say that “here he is, our baron.” If I acted wrongly, dishonestly, the gypsies will say: “What kind of baron are you to us?” And they will leave. Everything is decided not by the baron, but by "Chris"- gathering of gypsies. Solution Chris- the law even for the baron.

D.K.: So the Roma are practically a republic?

K.K.: These are clans where several families live together and roam together. Sometimes other families join them. AND Chris decides everything. This is, in essence, direct democracy. And, for example, adult women have the right to vote there.

M.B.: Do they go to church? They are Orthodox.

K.K.: Necessarily. They are Christians. In Soviet times, when Russian crosses were removed and icons were thrown out, the Roma remained Christians. The Gypsies who lived in Ottoman Turkey paid tax to Muslims but remained Christians.

M.B.: How do they pray? And do they go to temples?

K.K.: In each tent they have icons, large golden crosses. A little kitschy style, but they are sincere believers: there is a God who loves them very much. “Saint George stopped by recently, and his gold stirrup was stolen.”

M.B.: So this is such a naive faith?

K.K.: A very living, genuine faith.

M.B.: I wanted to ask about the funeral. Is it a tradition that people are buried with their belongings, in the clothes in which the person died, and in order for everything to fit in, they dig a hole the size of a room, line the walls with bricks and cover them with carpets?

K.K.: The excavator is called!

M.B.: The workers at the cemetery told me about this.

K.K.: Yes, yes, jeeps and computers are buried. These are remnants of paganism.

M.B.: They then guard these graves, excuse me for my cynicism?

K.K.: No one will dare to quarrel with the gypsies.

M.B.: Vengeful? An eye for an eye?

K.K.: If you deliberately offend the gypsies, they will take revenge. But in general they are a very peaceful people; we have collected criminal chronicles about them for 600 years.

M.B.: How do they take revenge? It seemed to me that the gypsies did not kill.

K.K.: They don't kill. This comes from Indian times: if you kill, you will ruin your karma. Religion changed a long time ago, but this remains. Murders are extremely rare. To deceive, to steal - yes, this is not even very sinful, but to kill is not. But it’s easy to set a village on fire.

M.B.:“I’m not touchy, but I’ll burn the house down.”

D.K.: It turns out that their religion is syncretic: there are elements of Christianity, Hinduism, and paganism.

K.K.: The gypsies came from India, and for a long time people wondered what kind of caste they were. They thought that they were inferior, since everyone persecuted them there and humiliated them here. It turned out that the castes were different. And the caste tradition has been preserved. For example, if a gypsy was a blacksmith working with ferrous metal, he could not do anything else. If the gypsy used to breed horses, now he sells cars, and so on.

M.B.: But we live in the 21st century. Can't a person be born who says he doesn't want to sell cars?

K.K.: They will tell him: “Well, get out of here, live off the drywall, go to university.” There are many gypsies with higher education, they are wonderful people. They are gypsies by blood, but in their heads they are no longer.

M.B.: It turns out that if he enters the university, he enters according to caste?

K.K.: No. He must live in a camp and do what his ancestors did. My great-grandfather is a gypsy, and what am I doing? I sing, I dance, I tell you stories.

There are exceptions, but gypsies are trying to find these niches in a changed world. There were horses, now there are cars.

M.B.: If a gypsy goes into society, has he already broken away from the camp, is he on his own?

K.K.: Most likely, he will live in the city, will not wander, and will leave traditions behind. As a result, his descendants will dissolve into another ethnic group.

M.B.: Speaking of traditions, what can you tell us about gypsy weddings? A recent video on the Internet amazed everyone: there was a bride hung with money and gold. That's a lot of money, they've been saving up for a wedding all their lives, or what?

K.K.: Yes, all my life. It happens that after a wedding a rich family becomes poor, but no one will say that they had a poorer wedding than their neighbors. It all starts with the fact that you have a girl, I have a boy, I’m coming to you with a birch tree, the branches of which are made of euros and dollars, and I say: “You have a product, we have a merchant, let’s talk.” You say “no” for two weeks, and I feed your camp for these two weeks. When you said okay, let’s get married, you are already feeding my camp, and I’m giving you a gold coin that will hang over the cradle. That is, the girl is already matched at birth.

And if I, the father of a 15-year-old boy, wasted time and went to the camps, thinking that I would find him a smart and beautiful girl, there would be girls everywhere with coins - everyone was matched. And I will already think that I would find at least one. You need to do this in advance.

D.K.: Is 15 years too late?

K.K.: I saw a 13-year-old mother. At the age of 11, a gypsy can be married off. They are advanced in chastity.

M.B.: Of course, if a girl is married off at the age of 11, it is unlikely that she could lose her “chastity” before the wedding.

K.K.: This is the most chaste people. There is not a single case in history where a gypsy woman was a prostitute. It is amazing.

M.B.: No rape either?

K.K.: No. At 11 years old, she’s definitely still a girl, I’m giving her away, then you’ll be responsible for her.

D.K.: Do divorces happen?

K.K.: No. Sometimes they run away.

M.B.: Adultery?

K.K.: Here is a girl in a cradle, growing up, meeting a boy, falling in love, and having to marry another gypsy whom she doesn’t even know. And she runs away.

I had an incident in Romania. We are going to the gypsy woman, the translator calls her, and she says: “Just don’t tell your father, I ran away, we are already at the German border.” If you escaped, there would be such a commotion, the chase would be terrifying. You need to run to any church and fall at the priest’s feet: “Get married, we love each other.” Or the baron will marry them in another camp, where they are not known.

M.B.: Will they ever forgive their own?

D.K.: Or how will they be punished if they are caught?

K.K.: They won't kill him, but they will seriously beat him. And the daughters will say: “Take the icon, kiss it and say that you will not run away.” She says she won’t, she’ll run away anyway. Then I myself will forge shackles and chain her, I’m a blacksmith, for example, so that I don’t bring shame on my family. Here it is, the notorious gypsy freedom.

D.K.: Can another camp accept them?

K.K.: Maybe. It may be that they came running for them, and the baron has already married them, he has the right to do this.

M.B.: With all these gypsy "show-offs", begging is not considered a humiliating activity?

K.K.: What's humiliating about it?

M.B.: For example, it’s difficult for me to say: “Give me money.”

K.K.: This is women's caste work. A gypsy can leave a five-story mansion with a Lexus at the entrance and go barefoot to the market to beg. In India there is a caste of thieves, although they can be very rich. One rich thief comes to another and deliberately leaves something valuable - he seems to be stealing. Then they change. They follow caste tradition. So are the gypsies. In general, the work of a gypsy consists of two parts. The first is begging. Oh, how they beg! Some people cannot overcome themselves, but in general this is very Christian, this is humility: fall on your knees, cry, tug at your clothes, feel pity.

M.B.: This is an excellent master class: asking for help should be taught from childhood.

K.K.: And that's not a bad thing. After all, gypsy beggars before the revolution softened social tension in Russian society, because the peasant thought that there was someone who lived worse than him: look, everyone is chasing her, she walks barefoot in winter. And if she asked for something, there is no need to let the person go: “Oh, good man, clear eyes, gentle heart, let me tell your fortune.”

M.B.: Is this gratitude? Or to take everything else?

K.K.: It depends on what kind of person. They can just tell fortunes, or they can further promote it.

D.K.: Hypnotize.

K.K.: Yes. We spent an entire budget on research into gypsy fortune-telling. It's very simple: when a gypsy asks for your hair, wraps it in a piece of paper, she does not take money from you. The earrings sway in her ears, she mutters something - it’s like a trance. I kept trying to track the moment when my consciousness changed. This is impossible.

D.K.: Have you been hypnotized?

K.K.: Yes, sure. Class! Twice I met real fortune tellers. They talk straight through their whole lives. All the rest are super psychologists, they absorb this with their mother's milk. In a crowd of people, they immediately see who will give, who will not, who to approach, who is not needed. Why do you think gypsies work at train stations?

M.B.: There are a lot of people there.

K.K.: There are even more in the metro.

D.K.: Is the person confused?

K.K.: The man fell out of his usual environment. He comes to Moscow from the provinces, he is already shaken. Not far from the Matrona of Moscow Museum on Taganka, gypsies work all the time. Women with their problems go to Matrona, and then the gypsies are nearby - what if it works out?

M.B.: What are their fortune telling based on? You can tell fortunes by cards, by hand...

K.K.: I can guess on anything. I can take your phone and tell fortunes on it.

M.B.: So they have different methods?

K.K.: Certainly. We told fortunes on a shell, on an icon of the Mother of God, on an old coin. This is psychology. Of course, there are special card layouts. Moreover, gypsies tell fortunes, but men rarely tell fortunes. I know an English gypsy who is a very strong fortune teller. One day he predicted death for a family, and within a year they all died. After that, he picked up this deck, threw it into the river and never told fortunes again.

D.K.:: Is this a regular deck or Tarot?

K.K.: You can tell fortunes on the Tarot, you can use regular ones, the main thing is that you don’t play them.

M.B.: How not to give in or how to get out of a hypnotic state? A doctor friend wrote to me that the autonomic system is malfunctioning, peripheral vision disappears, everything is bubbling. I was hypnotized, I can say that you feel that you are doing something wrong, not of your own free will, but you do it anyway. It's hard to believe.

D.K.: Can you describe some techniques?

K.K.: They look into the eyes. They have a special speech frequency and timbre. It's like hitting a shaman's drum. And gradually in this way they are introduced into a trance. There is a method of asking questions: tell me this, that. If she guessed something, she says: “See, I see you.” If not, then he asks to tell you more. And so you lay out everything about your life, then she brings you out of the trance, clapping her hands, and says: “I know everything about you!” And it tells everything about your life. It makes a lasting impression and you begin to believe.

It’s more difficult with men, of course. If possible, the gypsy will approach the girl because they are ready to believe her. Although there are also naive young men. On my expedition, three girls went to tell their fortunes. One sobbed bitterly, the other also began to sob, and began to take everything off herself. This was our camp, the gypsies, our friends, were standing there laughing. And then one employee went - a student of a shaman. It was the "Battle of Psychics". He put up barriers, the gypsy actually flinched. Grandma was already sick. I tell the girl: “Have pity on the old lady, her blow will be enough now.” In general, it turned out that these are very similar techniques for inducing trance.

M.B.: I found instructions on the Internet on how to protect yourself from gypsies: “You will need a pocket mirror. Don’t look fortune tellers in the eyes, when you meet them, try to turn away and leave as quickly as possible, speed up your step if she follows you. Don’t be rude or try to hurt - it will only harm you. If a gypsy does approach you, take out a mirror and point it at her. It is believed that this will turn all her words and intentions against her. Take advantage of the confusion and leave. Also, do not show jewelry and a wallet." . About the mirror - this is bullshit, in my opinion. Or are they afraid of it?

K.K.: The mirror helped Harry Potter against the Basilisk, I remember.

M.B.: An aspen stake also helps someone.

K.K.: Yes, and silver bullets. It's very simple: don't make eye contact. Or, if a gypsy woman came up on the train, you can say: “How great! Are you gypsies? Where is your camp? I work at the Museum of Nomadic Culture, I’m writing a scientific paper about your people, let’s go see you?” Before you have time to finish, they will no longer be there. They love to learn everything about others, but they don’t want to tell themselves. And if you are invited... Well, you will go to the camp and meet the gypsies.

M.B.: Who's the boss of the house?

K.K.: Man. Absolute master.

M.B.: What is the functionality of a woman, her sacred duties? And the responsibilities of men?

K.K.: First, there is a ransom for the girl, and there must be a dowry with the girl. Gypsies try to ensure that the ransom and dowry are the same price. And this is shared publicly, otherwise the camp will say: “We bought her, who is she?” The position of women among the Roma is low, especially among the young. If she gave birth to children, then the situation is better. But the adult gypsy woman who raised her sons is a very respected woman. It happens that she even runs the camp.

M.B.: And the sons obey and honor her?

K.K.: Certainly.

M.B.: Why are their children so dirty?

K.K.: Gypsies say: "A dirty child is a happy child."

M.B.: It's not just the gypsies who say this.

K.K.: They adore children, this is their main wealth. They are allowed everything, they are not punished. It happens that the father will slap you on the ass, and then: “Oh, little one, give me a kiss, why did I do this to you?” You cannot raise children with strictness. They can do everything. There’s a little gypsy kid walking around on the train or in the subway, pestering everyone, and mommy smiles: what a great guy!

D.K.: Until what age is he considered a child?

K.K.: At 11–12 years old, a boy is already a grown man. He walks with his head held high: he is a gypsy!

M.B.: What are they cooking?

K.K.: Gypsies have always lived within another people. There are no gypsy costumes, music, cuisine. Well, they begged for a little flour, cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes, and what, the man will say: “Come on, wife, prepare something gypsy for me”? No, they eat what they beg for. Or they would beg for clothes and the man would say: “Change to gypsy clothes!” Of course not. They usually bake flatbreads right next to the tent in the ashes of the fire. This is a very dense and nutritious bread. They love tea. Russian gypsies drank with samovars, from a saucer, like merchants. And in Eastern Europe they can add fruit to tea.

The gypsies also ate hedgehogs. I haven’t tried it myself, but hedgehogs have been baked and eaten.

D.K.: With needles?

K.K.: Yes, they baked them with needles, and then somehow removed them. This is exotic, yes.

M.B.: In general, what kind of meat do they prefer?

K.K.: Which is. But everything will happen at the wedding. When in the old days gypsies had a wedding, they bought a barrel of moonshine, carried it on horseback and watered it to all Russian villages.

D.K.: You said about gypsy children, but we all read Hugo's book "The Man Who Laughs." It describes how gypsies steal babies, put them in vats so that they turn into tumblers, make scars on their faces, and so on.

K.K.: He also has a book “Notre Dame Cathedral” about the stolen Esmeralda.

D.K.: Is this even based on real facts?

K.K.: Certainly. Fair-haired people appear among the gypsies, Russians, for example. In general, this myth was debunked by the Vedomosti newspaper back in the 19th century. Gypsies don't steal children. There are many of our own, why an extra mouth? But it happens that a gypsy family is childless, this is a tragedy for any family, and especially for a gypsy one. It is impossible to find a single gypsy child; they are all attached. There were cases when gypsies wandered around the villages, found a family in which the mother died in childbirth, the man was drinking. But the gypsy family was childless, and they begged them for children, even offering money. And they gave the children away. "Vedomosti" described a case: a boy grew up with an earring in his ear - fair-haired, blue-eyed Vanya. Journalists found him in the camp and said: “You are Russian, your mother died, the gypsies took you.” And he told them with an accent: “Why are you telling me this? I’m a gypsy, over there my mother is telling fortunes in the tent.” That's where all these myths come from.

D.K.: But since they have a clan system, it is clear that they “cross” with each other and an accumulation of recessive genes occurs...

M.B.: Errors.

K.K.: For this accumulation to work, millennia must pass, even if you marry your sisters. Egypt has been dying out for a long time.

D.K.: But our gypsies are thousands of years old.

K.K.: But we take from another camp, we cannot take from our own. That is, this is exogamy - they marry someone other than their own, no degeneration can be traced among the gypsies. Well, and then, the blood is refreshed all the time. My great-grandfather, for example, had a Russian wife.

M.B.: Was he kicked out for this?

K.K.: No, he brought her to the camp, poor thing. He loved her madly. They had 13 children. When she died of typhus, he was completely lost, he did not know how to raise them. Some were placed in orphanages, others wandered with him. And he himself died of grief a year later from longing for his wife. It’s good that the elder brother was the first to leave the orphanage and gather everyone. The gypsies do not abandon their own people, this is very important.

M.B.: Do gypsies drink?

K.K.: Can not be. Even people who in the Middle Ages received the task of discrediting the gypsies said: “This vile people have one trait - they don’t drink.” Although at the gypsy holiday you will see a huge amount of alcohol. They play around, but they know when to stop. Two young gypsies are on duty all the time. If someone becomes sleepy, they lead him under white hands to a special room. If someone is drunk at a gypsy festival, it’s a shame. Getting Russian villages drunk is normal, but they themselves drink in moderation.

M.B.: What's your favorite gypsy movie?

K.K.: A lot of.

M.B.: And your favorite?

K.K.: I really like "The Hare over the Abyss". He is very funny - about how in the Brezhnev era a gypsy cannot get married, there is no money for a ransom. And the girl’s father says: “Drive me Brezhnev’s limousine like a horse, then she’s yours.” And the film is about how he searches for this car.

M.B.: Have they become less popular compared to Soviet times? “The camp goes to the sky”, “My affectionate and gentle beast”, “Cruel romance”, “The Elusive Avengers”. It was some kind of boom, romance.

K.K.: It was not a boom, but competent work with the population of the Soviet government. Gypsies began to be accepted into school and received citizenship. They worked with them, they were not driven around like in Europe. And, naturally, it was necessary to introduce some kind of positive image of the “new gypsy” into popular culture.

M.B.: Which Soviet film is the most truthful?

K.K.:"The Camp Goes to Heaven" is a good film.

M.B.: Zemfira is there.

K.K.: Zemfira is the prototype of all gypsy women, Pushkin's love. When Pushkin was exiled to Bessarabia and he was wandering with the gypsies, he fell in love with Zemfira. Everyone understood that a Russian nobleman would never take a camp gypsy as his wife, especially Pushkin. And he chased after her, and her father sent her to another camp. But this is Pushkin! He has two pistols in his belt and is off in pursuit. And the baron came towards me: “Oh, what have you done! Why did you chase after my Zemfira? She had a lover in that camp, he found out that you were coming, he took out a knife and stabbed her, and then drove the knife into his own heart. We buried them.” yesterday". Pushkin cried for two weeks, and Zemfira successfully married a gypsy.

D.K.: The poet was deceived.

K.K.: They didn’t deceive him, but planted a plot on him. And he poured out all his melancholy in the poem "Gypsies."

M.B.: Are the names Zemfira, Carmen, Esmeralda still popular?

K.K.: There are gypsy names that are very popular. Loiko, for example. Or Nasko - a derivative of Atanas. There are Byzantine names and Slavic ones. And there are ordinary ones.

M.B.: Masha, Sasha, Seryozha?

K.K.: Yes, sure. It all depends on what country the gypsies live in.

D.K.: Is their language Indo-European?

K.K.: Yes. My Romanian gypsy friends watch Indian films without translation, they understand everything. But there are dialects: Russian Roma, Hungarian Roma, Polish Roma. This is the gypsy language, interspersed with words from the language of the people among whom they live.

M.B.: Is this simple language? Is it easy to learn?

K.K.: It's not easy, but you can learn it. I sing songs in Gypsy. You sing and learn the words.

D.K.: Everyone has seen the film Snatch with Brad Pitt, where gypsies appear. They also appear in Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about Sherlock Holmes. But in fact, almost all of them are ethnically Irish. They are called paveys, or Irish travelers, - Irish travelers. But at the same time, all their customs and language are gypsy. Why?

K.K.: When the gypsies left India, they came to Byzantium. They were very well received there and lived there for 300 years. They wrote about them that they were useful people, they did all the work, and began to lead a sedentary lifestyle. But these gypsies were not of the highest castes, they knew little about the Vedic religion and accepted Greek Orthodox Christianity. Moreover, living in Byzantium, they began to call themselves “Roma” - Romans. Now these are the last Byzantines on the planet. But Byzantium was dying under the onslaught of the Turks, and some of the Roma decided to go to the West. There were a lot of adventurers there - who wouldn’t be the kind of people who would drop everything and leave? And they came to Europe. If all gypsies were honest, their fate might have turned out differently. Because in many ways they turned the people against themselves. The very first groups were those that reached England and Ireland. They sailed there, but where next? There are few gypsies, consanguineous marriages are prohibited, so they began to mix with the British and Irish. Therefore, their appearance changed, but their language and traditions remained gypsy. These were the first settlers from Byzantium to Western Europe - Travelers. Now many people live very richly, but do not forget that they are gypsies. I won't say that Snatch is a very truthful film...

M.B.: But interesting.

K.K.: In general, it is better not to mess with gypsies. Don't offend them, treat them like people, and they will treat you the same. The main thing is to break the gap between “Gazhi” and “Roma”. I succeeded, and you can too!

The mood now is Merry

At the gypsy flag
has its own symbolism: the upper part is blue, which means the sky, the lower part of the cloth is green, which means grass, and
in the middle there is a red wheel - a sign of the eternal road.

WEDDING. Parents get theirs married
sons and daughters aged 16-18. Matching pair
parents choose. The groom has wooed the bride, the bride’s parents are taking a closer look -
good or not. If the adults agree, then they must arrange a magnificent wedding for the bride and groom. It happens that the bride
steal. This is an old law. The guy liked the gypsy girl - he might steal her. It is important that later, when everything
will be revealed, he was in keeping with traditions. That is, the “thief” must be an honest and decent person.” Not required for gypsies
stamp in the passport, and a wedding in a church is encouraged. “On the wedding day, the main managers of the holiday can be considered
matchmaker and matchmaker, who must be elderly and not relatives of the newlyweds. We walk either in the house or in a cafe
or restaurant. We dance as families. The presenters announce: “Now let such and such a family come out.” And everyone, young and old, should
dance. At midnight, the matchmakers take the newlyweds to the bedroom and remain to guard their peace at the door. Then they have to bring a sheet
and show all the guests that the wedding is fair.


LANGUAGE. Although the gypsies have their own language, they do not have an alphabet. Therefore, they write gypsy words in Russian, Hungarian or
in Romanian letters - depending on place of residence.

GOLD AS A MEMORY OF PARENTS

Gypsies wear too much gold, say Gadjos (non-Gypsies). Roma has a simple explanation for this. "Strangers
They think that we are very rich if we wear gold. But buying gold is a long tradition. When our families wandered for centuries,
What kind of property could we buy and carry with us? Only decorations. - Besides, father
a family must leave an inheritance to their children, and what could be better than chains, earrings or bracelets? And since in
Our families have 5-6 children, so we buy a lot of gold. And it is believed that this is how the child retains the memory of his father and mother. Children
They keep these gifts that are dear to them all their lives. And for the daughter it is also a substantial dowry.

CODE OF GYPSY HONOR: LISTEN TO YOUR ELDERS AND HUSBAND

Gypsies sacredly respect their laws. The main rule: real rum will never offend, offend, or rob those people
among whom he lives. “The Romans are used to trusting each other, they will share the last piece of bread and will always help in difficult times.”
minute. If a rum comes to me and says: “I’m giving you gold to keep,” then he can be calm - with his valuables
nothing will happen. If we find out that one of our people has broken the law, then we can remove such a person from our
life. For example, for murder, drug trafficking.”

Expulsion from the community is considered the most terrible punishment among Roma. They stop inviting people to visit and helping.
Roma are hospitable people. If they move from city to city, they can always live with their brothers and borrow money.
It will not be possible to hide the dark past. Gypsy mail (based on the principle: word of mouth) works at lightning speed and make inquiries about
this or that family will not be difficult.

The Roma are divided into peculiar castes according to their methods of earning money: some beg for alms, others trade in markets.
A separate niche is occupied by those who have their own business, for example, restaurants or shops. They enjoy special honor
creative dynasties are the gypsy intelligentsia.

The law of respect for elders is unshakable. Children must listen to their parents. “God forbid, a child disobeys his father, we punish
child with a whip. Not with his hand or anything like that, but with a whip. Both fathers and grandfathers did this. Every home has a whip. And wives must be obedient to their husbands in everything. “A wife should be able to cook, entertain, and earn money. If
When discord occurs, they go for advice to the elders, whom Gadjos (non-Gypsies) call Gypsy barons. But the gypsies don't
barons, there are simply respected people who have authority among the Roma.

ROM BELIEFS: A HORSESHOE WITH ENDS UP AND PAIN WITH JOY

Gypsies pay great attention to various symbols and superstitions, because this is how they pass on from generation to generation
folk wisdom. If a gypsy finds a horseshoe on the road, he cannot pass by, but must act according to science. "Horseshoe
for a gypsy it is a symbol of happiness. And it should hang on the door of the house with the ends up so that happiness does not spill out. If a gypsy
finds a horseshoe on the road, which lies with its ends away from him, then this is a sign of good luck. He should pick it up and hang it on the door
of your home. If the gypsy does not pick up the horseshoe, luck will smile on him only on that day. If he picks it up, he'll be lucky
Always. If the found horseshoe is directed towards the gypsy, it cannot be picked up, as it brings bad luck.
You need to throw it over your left shoulder or hang it on a tree with the ends down so that bad luck pours out, spit it out and
continue on your way.

HERBS AND SPELLS. Gypsies do not like doctors, preferring in the old fashioned way to turn to healers for help. Maybe that's why
Many Roma people get sick infrequently and live long lives. “You can’t buy medicine at the pharmacy, it’s all chemicals. I'm only being treated
folk remedies. For example, when my eyes hurt, I make an elderberry infusion. You can drink it for coughs and colds. Giving an infusion
you need to say: “Oh, pain, go from your eyes to the water, go to the grass, go to the ground.
Go to the earthly spirit. That's where your home is. Go and rejoice." And it always helps me!
All my life I have been amazed that only gypsies can say about pain: “Go and rejoice!”

KOTLYARY - "METALLISTS", CRIMEA - ZOLOTNIKI

Our people - the Kotlyars - are the most ancient of the gypsies. By the way, we call ourselves gypsies and never call ourselves Roma. Roma like
As a rule, the Chisinau residents who came from Moldova and Romania, or the Crimeans, call themselves Muslim gypsies. Although our language
common, but they are different. Chisinau residents engage in fortune telling, wander... Crimeans - buying and selling gold. And we - kotlyars - always
earned their living with iron. My grandfather and my father were blacksmiths. But now all the men in my camp make money by
that they enter into contracts with various enterprises and buy parts and various scrap iron from them for next to nothing.

Why do gypsies love gold so much?

Only the lazy did not notice the gypsies' passion for gold. Gypsies prefer jewelry, teeth, and compliments that are larger and gold.
Gilded and golden wallpaper, mobile phones, shoes, buttons, sunglass frames... Even the red wheel on the gypsy flag
some organizations repaint it gold.

The simplest explanation for such a bias would be banal greed. Indeed, the gypsies pay great attention
prosperity. You can’t ignore the proverbs based on the play on words: “a poor person is considered a thief,” “where there is poverty, there is theft.”
Dress children nicely even for a trip to the sandbox, talk about the success of your business appropriately and inappropriately,
demonstrate expensive purchases made - it may seem that wealth for gypsies is an end in itself. However
wealth is just one of the main ways to show your professional worth, your intelligence, luck,
high professional level (the second, naturally, boasts about all this directly, in words).

Another reason for the addiction of gypsy women to gold jewelry (although gypsies also like such jewelry among men), ethnographers believe
insuring a woman against poverty in case of divorce. If my husband drives me out of the house, he may not give me the money and won’t split it
property, but it is unlikely that he will tear off the hoop earrings. In any case, a similar system exists among many Eastern
peoples: Turks, Arabs...

But besides the practical basis of the gypsy passion for gold, there is also a mystical one.

Gold is a special metal, as many peoples believe. Gold does not rust, perhaps that is why it is considered a metal
clean, and moreover, attracting happiness and money. Among the peoples of Europe, stories about gold are often associated with blood, with
a curse. In gypsy fairy tales it may be associated with evil spirits, but the accentuation “where there is gold, there are curses and
blood" - no. The main “golden” plot of gypsy fairy tales is that a lucky gypsy finds a treasure by hitting a snake with a stick or
the devil (who, by the way, is not a negative character in himself - he punishes for bad deeds and helps
good people).

Gold is the best wedding gift, especially for the bride; so, the godmothers give her gold jewelry almost as a mandatory
ok. If a young husband wants to show his love and care, he pays for his wife to have gold crowns on her teeth (this is
demonstration of one’s own wealth, and a magical gift - luck and profitability, which gold attracts). Kotlyary of Russia,
those who have the custom of bride price still use gold coins for this, or their specially made ones from gold
copies. A bride is not bought for money - for Gold.

Gifted or inherited gold cannot be sold or exchanged - this is more than a bad omen, it is very
Badly. Then luck will turn away, and luck is something to which the gypsies attach great importance. Extreme case of benefit
from such gold - delivery to a pawnshop with mandatory subsequent redemption.

Hoping to attract good luck and money, gypsy parents sometimes give their children names associated with gold: Golden,
Sumnakai, Suvnakuni, Zlatan, etc.

The Roma people have their own standards of behavior for members of the community; the law also regulates the relationships between Roma and representatives of other nationalities. The most important rule from this list is the need to behave appropriately when communicating with non-Gypsies and to observe the customs of other peoples. But the gypsy law disapproves of interethnic marriages, although they are not officially prohibited.

Gypsy law

In general, the set of rules of behavior is the same for all subethnic groups of Russian Roma, despite their huge number and differences in views.

There is a strict ban on rape, murder, severe physical harm, and so on.

This also includes the rules of decency when receiving guests: you need to make sure that they feel comfortable, treat them with respect and take care of their comfort.

The largest number of laws and restrictions are imposed on relations within the Roma community. Almost all areas of life are regulated here: from the right choice of clothing to how exactly it is necessary to communicate with other representatives Roma There is a standard for holding weddings and religious holidays and a list of professional areas that are not shameful for a gypsy or gypsy.

Gypsy society is equal because it adheres to the rule: “no gypsy should stand above another.” The term "baron" has no relation to reality and is used mainly in films and TV series.

The gypsies themselves regard people who believe in a strict hierarchy in their society with irony.

If there is a generally recognized leader in the camp, non-Gypsies (mostly police officers or journalists) are immediately sent to him. If there is no such person, his role is filled by one of the respected members of the community. Especially for individuals unfamiliar with the life of gypsies, he is called “baron” in order to avoid confusing explanations. Barons in the classical sense of the word in Russia exist only among Kotlyarov, but even there they bear little resemblance to the heroes of the series “Carmelita”.

Traditional gypsy culture

Folklore. Gypsies have never lived in isolation, so their folklore was largely influenced by neighboring cultures. At the same time, it did not assimilate and retained its flavor and some unique features.

The culture of folk songs is the most developed among the Roma. They have largely influenced the music of other peoples of the world. The performing art of Russian Roma has gained great popularity.

Gypsy literary folklore includes myths, both related to religion and not related to it, tales, carefully preserved family legends, proverbs, sayings and fairy tales.

Philosophical songs reflecting on how the gypsies live, their culture and spirit are extremely popular. They sing a lot and with soul about love, and often perform chanson. Songs performed during a dance rarely carry any meaning.

Of the fairy tales, the most common are “horror stories”. Through the images of ghouls and the living dead, storytellers turn to the folk art of their Hindu ancestors. Often in fairy tales, goblins and brownies, familiar to any Russian, appear.

Not all stories have a happy ending: sad tales are very common and popular. Some stories are intended to teach children; in a playful way they tell about what is good and what is bad, explain how to live and what should not be done. There are also short fairy tales and anecdotes.

Cloth. The main feature of gypsy costumes around the world is that the cut must hide the hips and knees. Women wear a long skirt, a shirt with a small collar and a shawl with flowers and fringe, which is draped around the body. Young girls wear another smaller shawl on their hips. Married or adult women wear a headscarf and an apron. It is no coincidence that the latter refers to national clothing: it is believed that every sexually mature woman is “defiled”; to touch her clothing, which covers the body below the waist, means to defile oneself. In addition to cutting off their hair and beard, guilty gypsies were punished by hitting them in the face with a skirt, so that the apron became a kind of barrier preventing them from accidentally touching the skirt.

Gypsy men preferred bright shirts, similar in cut to traditional Russian ones, short vests, loose trousers, boots and a cap. In general, their clothing resembles that worn by Russian merchants in the 19th century. While trading horses, the gypsies actively communicated with merchants, as a result of which, apparently, they adopted some habits from them. Unfortunately, nowadays almost no one wears a traditional costume and something similar can only be seen on singers or dancers.

House. Among the Russian Roma and Evangelical Gypsies, it is believed that the second floor of the house is a place free from filth due to the ceilings, so their women are allowed to move freely around the house. Families are not afraid to desecrate themselves and live peacefully in apartment buildings. The views of the Kotlyars are much harsher: they believe that the ceilings are not reliable enough, do not allow women to go upstairs and do not live in high-rise buildings. Those gypsies who are not inclined to preserve traditions do not have any hard and fast rules: they live the same way as other Russians.

The main feature of a private gypsy house is the presence of a spacious “public” room, a “hall”, which is used when many guests come to the house for a special occasion, for example, a wedding or someone’s birthday. Gypsies celebrate on a grand scale: all relatives who live nearby or are physically able to get to the designated place are invited. In this way, they maintain close ties within the large family and avoid possible quarrels with offended relatives who were not invited.

Gypsy fortune telling. One of the first images that comes to mind when talking about the Romanesque people is a fortune teller. It is believed that the famous soothsayer Madame Lenormand, who predicted the future of such iconic figures as Napoleon and Robespierre, learned fortune telling from the gypsies.

The most famous and popular are fortune telling by hand and cards, however, the skills of gypsies are not limited to them. They are also skilled with needles, knives and even beans.

Particular respect, of course, is given to experienced fortune tellers, who have earned authority with accurate predictions both in the eyes of the gypsy community and among the peoples living in the neighborhood. The notorious "station" gypsies have nothing to do with divination.

It is known that it was the gypsy woman who at one time predicted A.S. Pushkin's death at the hands of a "white man", who later turned out to be the blond Georges Dantes. Also, the representative of the novel has a stunningly accurate interpretation of the future of V.I. Lenin: she promised her mother that her son would become powerful and famous and win the hearts of many people, but his death would be difficult and painful.

In addition to regular playing cards, gypsies use Tarot cards. Nowadays, it is not a problem to buy any deck, and even with detailed instructions, but earlier the issue was solved differently: fortune tellers drew the cards themselves. Homemade tarots were especially valued, since it was believed that when making a deck, a gypsy woman puts a piece of her energy into it, and therefore fortune telling will be much more accurate and detailed.

When telling fortunes with beans, the soothsayer asks the person to whom she is telling fortunes to place a coin in a handful of nine beans in her hand, and then throws them on the table or any other horizontal surface. The coin symbolizes the person, the beans symbolize what will happen to him in the future. Beans lying close to the coin indicate its strength, a straight line of them indicates the road. If the line looks crooked, it denotes future doubts or troubles. The triangle and square, respectively, indicate a woman and a man.

Gypsy holidays

International Roma Day, recognized by the UN in 1991, is celebrated on April 8th.

On the fourth of May and on the night of the twenty-fifth of May, the Romani Catholic saints are venerated: Blessed Seferino and Sara Kali.

On August 2, we remember Kali Thrash, the genocide of the Roma.

Gypsy festivals take place all over the world. " Khamoro" held in Prague, " Romani Yag" celebrate in Montreal, at the festival" Amala" Gypsy musical groups gather in Kyiv. There are several such festivals in Russia: “Tumbleweeds”, “Gypsies under the Russian Sky”, etc.