Nikolay Bessonov. The myth of gypsy religious conformity

Let's start with the literary tradition. From the quotes below, one can judge what has been written about the religiosity of the Gypsies for the past two hundred years:

They do not profess any religion, but follow fetishism, that is, they worship objects useful for their life: tents, carts and forges; they believe like the Turks in predestination. In Christian lands they pretend to be Christians, in Turkey they are Mohammedans, and with Jews they are Jews. one
Mikhail Kogalniceanu. 1837

The gypsies do not have a trace of religion, and if one oriental writer claims that "there are seventy-two faiths and a half in the world", meaning by "half" the faith of the gypsies, then this is not true, because they have no faith at all. 2
"Light in pictures". 1880

Understanding nothing in the Christian faith, the gypsies usually willingly accept it, but only outwardly. At the same time, he does not even distinguish what faith he accepts - for him all faiths are equally incomprehensible; he only looks at what is more profitable for him. 3
A. Schiele. 1878

... Gypsies are generally not distinguished by religiosity and are more likely to be superstitious than pious. As noted by many researchers of gypsy life, to the question: "What faith are you?" the gypsies answered: "And which one do you need?". 4
Hope Demeter. 1995

It is interesting, let's say, that in the Russian outback they may well be Orthodox: they go to church, devoutly baptize themselves. If they migrate to Tataria tomorrow, they will be exemplary Muslims. They're kind of "afraid of getting fired. 5
Nikolay Klimontovich. 1997

By and large, the literature on the religious views of the Roma can be divided into two streams. They are not framed in strict schools, since often the same author in the first paragraph tends to one system of views, and then, without blinking an eye, defends another. Such confusion is characteristic of gypsy studies. But, let's still make a distinction. There are two theories:
1. Gypsies are pagans. But they hide it, taking on the appearance of a different faith.
2. Gypsies are conformists who change religion with extraordinary ease, guided only by profit.
Agree, it's not the same thing. In the first case, the gypsies have their own religion. Let them hide it for security reasons - but still it is there.
Pagan religion? In today's world, this is not a crime. In India alone, eight hundred million people worship pagan gods - which by no means prevents governments from concluding diplomatic agreements with this state, and ordinary people from loving Indian cinema ... So, if you imagine that the gypsies (a people of Indian origin) by inertia would believe in Rama and Krishna , there would be nothing wrong with that.
The second theory is much more dangerous. According to her, there is no place to put a brand on gypsies. They are godless, hypocrites. They do not believe in anything, but they pretend to believe.
I will now discuss both belief systems in order.

I'll start with the gypsy "paganism".
There is no doubt that the Gypsies were originally pagans. Their ancestors, wandering around India, professed the same faith as the entire population of this hot eastern country… If we look at the world as a whole, it turns out that many peoples in that distant era worshiped idols, ancestral spirits, and the like. The ancestors of modern Swedes, Norwegians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, Poles, and Irish were then pagans. I'm not talking about our own ancestors. Even in those Western countries that officially adopted Christianity relatively quickly, pagan communities continued to exist, causing a lot of anxiety among the dominant church.
But the indigenous peoples of Europe did believe in Christ, didn't they?
They believed. Someone earlier than the gypsies, someone at the same time, and someone even later ... And another big question is, whose "Christian experience" is longer!
When the camps reached Byzantium, they no longer held on to pagan cults. Their conversion to Orthodoxy was recorded in writing already in 1322 by Simon Simeonis and Hugo the Enlightened. However, the Gypsies did not accept Christianity in Byzantium, but much earlier - while in Armenia. In any case, from Armenian language some words from church use entered the gypsy language. So word " patridi"(from the Armenian "patarag" - worship) - is found in many dialects of European gypsies, where it means Easter. In the Balkans, gypsies use the Armenian word" hung"(incense). The Indian word" trishula "(Shiva's trident) was transformed into a cross on the territory of Armenia (" trushul"- among European gypsies, and among Armenians" tresul"). So, we Russians should not forget that the Gypsies adopted Christianity two hundred years earlier than us. I am sure that this fact, well known to scientists, will seem amazing to our society.

Since the exit from Byzantium, nothing indicates that at least part of the camps worshiped Indian deities. Of course, when the nomads appeared in Western Europe, not everyone believed their version of the pilgrimage for the atonement of sins. And ordinary townsfolk, and nobles, and churchmen gossiped that uninvited guests, it's actually: atheists, pagans, idolaters, Mohammedans...6 That's right, all this was said with a comma, although atheism, paganism and Islam are conflicting worldviews.
Who won: gossips or sane Europeans? Last but not least, it depended on the gypsies themselves. It was their daily behavior that inclined the church and parishioners to one policy or another. I dare to say that the gypsies with honor "passed the test" for religious loyalty. In any case, the Inquisition did not touch them (for more on this, see).
Let's analyze the situation on the example of one particular country.
In Sweden, the gypsies were greeted with caution. At first they were mistaken for a fragment of the Mongol-Tatar horde, before which the whole West trembled at that time. Considering that they were dealing with pagans, the Swedes even called the newcomers "Tatars" - it took a hundred years for this erroneous term to be replaced by the word "gypsies". Accordingly, the church at first shared the subconscious fear of the pagan East. In 1560, half a century after the appearance of the nomads, a decree was adopted strictly forbidding the clergy to deal with them ... Meanwhile, time passed. The secular authorities of Sweden, following the example of their neighbors, adopted anti-Gypsy laws, which, by the way, were carried out carelessly. Queen Christina discussed with her court council whether to send the gypsies to America, but it was only a discussion. In practice, the gypsies were equated with "tramps and the poor", sending to the galleys only those who were caught red-handed in theft and the like. In a word, the nomadic camps and society, as it were, looked closely at each other. Already in 1686 the church realized its mistake. When the new Church Code was adopted, a paragraph was included in its third section, according to which it was allowed to baptize gypsy children, and the gypsies themselves, if they wanted to settle in a particular place, were admitted to the flock. The softening of the church position had an impact on society as a whole.7
So, gradually the situation returned to normal. Swarthy mothers, as befits Christians, brought their children to church in order to perform the sacrament of baptism. The priests performed the ceremony. This situation suited anyone ... except for the gypsy scholars of the Western school. Is it possible to allow people to trust the nomadic people? And now Charles Lelan scares the gullible public with details that are known only to him. According to him, the gypsies of Scandinavia once a year gather under the cover of night darkness in order to "baptize" all the children whom their parents have recently baptized in order to lure gifts from strangers. On this occasion wild orgies are organized. Nomads worship a small idol, which is kept in the greatest secret by the leader of their tribe.8 This was written in the 19th century, but even today you can find in a quite respectable publication cave ideas about the religious views of the gypsies. Rosemary Helen Guili writes:
"The world of gypsies is inhabited by different spirits and deities. Del is both a god and "everything above" - ​​the sky, heaven and celestial bodies. Pharaun is a god who is said to have once been a great pharaoh in the long lost land of the gypsies, "Little Egypt". Beng is the devil, the cause of all evil. Like the Christians, the gypsies represented the devil as a freak with a reptilian tail and the ability to change appearance. There are legends about collusion with the devil. The worship of the moon and fire is strong among the gypsies; apparently they never worshiped the sun, at least not seriously. The moon is identified with the god Alako, the protector of the gypsies, who takes their souls after death. At first, Alako was Dundra, the son of a god sent to earth to teach people the law: he went to the moon when he completed his mission and became a god. Fire is considered sacred, capable of healing, protecting, maintaining health and punishing evil.
The cult of Bibi is the worship of a goddess such as the Greek Lamia, who strangles gorgios - non-gypsy children, infecting them with cholera, tuberculosis and typhoid.
Gypsies also practice the worship of the phallus and inanimate objects such as the anvil. The horse and the bear are considered god-like creatures."9
Do not ask where the researcher got such, to put it mildly, unverified information. Conversations about the beliefs of the gypsies have always been conducted according to the principle: "One woman said." Here is a quote from the work of a foreign gypsy scholar, who, however, did not share the theory of the "god-like" horse, and wrote something directly opposite:
"This sacrifice of a horse is also seen among the Gypsies Russian Empire. In 1830, a Russian landowner told me that the gypsies in the vicinity of Moscow and on the Don arrange a horse sacrifice and eat part of their meat, performing ancient rite idolatry."10
The nameless landowner told - the gypsy scholar wrote down. The theory is proven!.. Of course, Russian gypsies will be surprised if they hear that they had such a custom. But who is interested in their surprise and indignation? Paper will endure everything.

Great harm Gypsy studies were caused by the inventions of our compatriot Eliseev. As you know, he published a booklet, according to which the names of the Indian gods Brahma and Lakshmi were preserved in gypsy folklore. Again, I will not dwell here on exposing this falsification. Those interested can refer to a separate ARTICLE on this topic.
Defenders of a dying theory have found a way out. For several decades now, in near-scientific journalism, there has been a thesis that the gypsies have their own pagan God - Deval... The reader, without understanding, may believe. After all, in the Gypsy-Russian dictionary there is a vocative form from the word affairs, sounding devla.11 But I can't resist making a snide comment. "Why," I ask my opponents, "did you stop there? With the same justification, one could argue that the Italians have their own personal God -" Dio ". And the British have a separate pagan deity - they call him" Year". And the French also - "Dieu". And the Spaniards - "Diaz". You can list for a long time, but will such an approach be objective?"
Unfortunately, even now some Russian authors consistently defend the absolutely false point of view that the gypsies of our country have a whole pantheon of pagan gods. At the same time, they cannot introduce us to a single living pagan, usually referring to the fact that they themselves met them, but for a long time, and in a remote province ... and in general, gypsies, this is a very secretive tribe. They reveal their secrets only to those whom they trust implicitly.
Needless to say, this is nonsense. Faith in God is not something shameful. The whole history of mankind shows that they are proud of their faith, they willingly tell strangers about its postulates. Ethnographic science does not know peoples who, in the absence of religious persecution, would hide their true beliefs. This applies especially to our country. Can hardly be called intolerable tsarist Russia in which Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Lamaism and shamanistic cults coexisted legally. So what was the point for the gypsies to hide their paganism (if it existed in reality)? Exactly the same can be said about Russia today. The state and society are quite tolerant of the revival of traditional religions and even the emergence of many exotic sects. What are gypsies afraid of? Satanists - and they walk around quite openly!
So: not a single gypsy confirms that they worship Dundra or Pharaun, not a single Russian woman who has entered into an interethnic marriage has encountered something unusual in the religious sphere. What kind of people are these? All as one - conspirators are worse than intelligence officers or professional revolutionaries! ..
(Just don’t pass off belief in creatures similar to our brownies, goblin, mermaids as paganism. Such characters were borrowed from the Russian common people during two centuries of ethno-cultural contacts. If we write the goblin into the pagan pantheon, then let’s first deny the indigenous people the right to be called Christian. )

So, with the first theory, we seem to have figured it out. But before parting with it, I will quote a most interesting passage. It's like a bridge. Connecting thread. Smooth transition to theory number two. Western gypsy scholar Charles Lelan, who visited Russia in the late 1980s, was forced to grit his teeth and admit that our gypsies are Orthodox. Look, however, in what form this confession is made:
"I discovered, after studying this subject, that the Russian Gypsies professed Christianity. But the Church of the Greek Rite, as far as I saw, was practically little better than idolatry. Therefore, I cannot consider them a model of evangelical religiosity."12
As you can see, my dear Russian readers, from the point of view of Western explorer our Orthodoxy is, in fact, the same paganism. You offended? Now try to put yourself in the place of the gypsies. Where a Russian believer listens to one printed slander, they listen to thousands. In order to better understand the gypsies, let's do a little psychological experiment. Imagine that a Western journalist, having been in Moscow, writes the following:
“From the outside, a Russian person looks Orthodox (this is embodied in icons, prayers and temples). But in the depths of barbarian souls sits a cult imbibed with mother’s milk, which is carefully hidden from the uninitiated. For Russians worship the navel of a whale that vomited up all life.”
Of course, for the Russians, such an article is only poorly written fiction. And the gypsies should be sympathetic. They have been written about in this vein for several centuries now. And they won't stop...

Now about the second theory, which says: "Gypsies are hypocrites."
Unfortunately, there is a biased opinion in the scientific literature that the nomadic people changed their religion under the influence of self-interest. Ethnographers based themselves on the fact that in every country the gypsies "adjust" to the dominant church. From their reasoning, it appears that, having driven into unfamiliar places, the head of the family gathered everyone around the fire and made a speech: “Stop praying in the old way. There are other orders. tomorrow pretending to believe in another god!"
Say nonsense? Can't a scientist think so primitively? Maybe. It all went back to the founder of Gypsy studies, Grelman, who said so: “Gypsies simply adopt the religion of the country in which they live. Where the Gypsies choose a parking lot, they take religion. to change one's faith in every new place, just as other people change their clothes."13
Following Grelman, the same postulate was repeated by his numerous followers, almost word for word. From the middle of the 19th century, it became good form to add, for completeness, a parable about a nomad who was asked what faith he was. Answers vary depending on the country where the case takes place. A Ukrainian gypsy, for example, allegedly answered: “And what kind of toby, father, do you need it?”.14
You have already read the Russian version in the epigraphs presented by Nadezhda Demeter (who expressed surprise in print that almost all Roma baptize their children).15
In Serbia, according to the local ethnographer Tihomir Djordjevic, the gypsy peacefully spoke to the interlocutor about his faith: "Whatever you want, sir."16
So, Đorđević agreed with other scholars on the issue of Roma indifference to religion. And then - I don’t know how the gypsy scholars do it! - cited in his book the details that undermine the preconceived theory. And no wonder. The founding fathers wrote about the nomadic people in general, while Djordjevic had to talk about his homeland. In short, the situation in Serbia looked like this. In the era of the Ottoman yoke, both the Orthodox Church and the mosque had a spiritual influence on the Roma. Those nomads who came from the south bore Turkish names and obeyed Mohammedan rituals, while the newcomers from Wallachia were baptized and bore Vlach and Serbian names. Part of the Gypsies lived for centuries in the city suburbs, communicating mainly with the Turks. It is only natural that these people sincerely believed in Allah.
Meanwhile, the power of the Porte was tottering. Starting in 1830, ethnic Turks began to gradually leave Serbia, and after independence was proclaimed in 1878 from Ottoman Empire, the Turkish population is practically gone. At least two consequences follow from this. First, mosques and mullahs have disappeared. The second - having lost external Islamic influence, having found themselves in a purely Orthodox environment, Muslim gypsies, according to all the postulates of gypsy studies, had to immediately change their faith "like a dress."
Has it happened? Djordjevic (how to go against the truth?) admits that he is not. Instead of a mass conversion to Orthodoxy, an inexplicable incident occurred. In a number of areas, Muslim gypsies gradually lost their Islamic rituals. Neither the holidays, nor the birth of a child, nor the funeral were no longer accompanied by appropriate ceremonies. And for all that, people from the described communities continued to consider themselves Muslims, and when they were pointed out the absence of rituals, they excused themselves that this was their "pharaoh's" faith.
In 1892, the soul of Bishop Melentius could not stand it, who began to insist on the transfer of "atheists" to Orthodoxy. Gypsies began to be baptized en masse. Again, according to the myth of this people's disregard for matters of faith, everything should have gone smoothly. But for some reason some of the gypsies denied it, and some, although they were baptized, preferred to go away - just not to be called new Christian name. In places where no one knew them, they hid that they had undergone the rite of baptism.17 In a word, when an honest ethnographer speaks in Djordjevic, he recognizes precisely the firmness of religious convictions. In his essays, he devotes a lot of space to Muslim groups living in Serbia. They were known under different names: Koran Roma of Turkish origin and "beli gypsies" (who came from Bosnia). All these people, despite the Orthodox environment, firmly held on to the faith of their fathers, celebrated Bairam and Ramadan (although, as in the entire Islamic world, their women did not cover their faces with a veil).18
Let's honestly answer one question for ourselves. Does a person sincerely believe if he sacrifices material things only because of spiritual compulsion? Those whom Bishop Melentius forcibly converted to Orthodoxy left their homes, parted with relatives, friends and neighbors, interrupted the business established for decades. For what? The question is purely rhetorical, since the answer is clear in advance.

Gypsy in the temple. Photo: Yves Leres.

The criterion of truth is practice. Since the postulate is widespread in the literature that gypsies change their faith based on profit, you just need to look at what happened in reality. Imagine, in the Ottoman Empire, the corresponding experiment was carried out. Immediately after the conquest of Christian lands, the Ottoman Turks adopted a differentiated tax scale. Already in 1530, it was announced that the tax on Orthodox gypsies would be 25 axe. But those of them who convert to Islam will pay three points less.20 This was not an empty concussion. An effective mechanism for collecting taxes (the so-called "gypsy sanjak") was debugged. To correctly assess the results, let's try to reason with numbers in hand. To do this, we need a time jump to the end of the 17th century. The essence of Ottoman policy has not changed for a century and a half. Just as under Suleiman the Magnificent, the gypsies who worshiped Allah were charged a smaller tax. A Christian gypsy paid six pennies, and a Muslim five. What is the result? It turned out that in the register of 1695, only 10,000 gypsies out of 45,000.21 were listed as Muslims. Less than a quarter! As you can see, the tax pressure did not greatly affect the very people who seem to be guided only by profit. In the Balkans, the myth of gypsy indifference to religion was dealt a crushing blow. For centuries, tens of thousands of people remained faithful to Orthodoxy, being under the rule of Muslims. And they were not tempted by tax breaks.

The situation in our country is extremely interesting. It allows you to beat the last marked card from the deck of falsifiers.
As we know, back in the 19th century, Russian gypsies by all means kept icons in the "red corner" of the tent, observed fasts, and so on.
- Of course, they pretended ... They wanted to please the Russians. - the writing fraternity smirks.
Is it so? History itself took care that the gypsies could adequately object to common accusations. After the victory of the October Revolution, the party began strenuously inculcating a materialistic worldview. Priests were imprisoned and shot, temples were blown up or potato storage facilities were set up there. Monasteries adapted to concentration camps or prisons. The communists treated the believers in every possible way, and school program was essentially atheistic. This policy cannot be said to be ineffective. All the peoples of the USSR, in one way or another, experienced its influence. For some of them, the proportion of atheists in a certain period reached 50-60% (not according to official reports, but in reality). Only the gypsies did not submit to this fad. It would seem that right now, when both the rulers and the majority of the population are unanimous in their godlessness, the gypsies realize their benefits.
- What faith are you, gypsy?
- What do you need?
No, no one has heard such words from this people. Despite the direct danger, the nomads continued to keep icons in a place of honor, noted church holidays, got married, baptized children, and buried the dead with a funeral service. Settled gypsies, including communists and Komsomol members, behaved the same way... Yes, they did not advertise their faith. But they kept the fasts, prayed, and when they were directly asked, they did not hide their Orthodoxy.
It cannot be said that the party has lost sight of the gypsies. Anti-religious pamphlets were published in their native language, the essence of which was reduced to the phrase " religion cheese suffocating gas"22 (translation, I hope, is not required?). The result was zero. This alone shows what the arguments about the indifference of the gypsies to the faith, about their "conformity", "striving for profit" are worth.
The cruel communist experiment had by-effect- refuted one of the most persistent myths of gypsy studies. Moreover, not only Christian gypsies, but also Muslim gypsies showed firmness of convictions. Crimea and mugat (they are "lyuli") did not allow the party to distort their spiritual world. It was not possible to impose atheism on them.
By the way, in last years you can find evidence of the steadfastness of faith. Representatives of many ethnic groups migrate far from their traditional habitats. So gypsies Central Asia the last 10 years often come to Russia. I talked a lot with them, but they never tried to pass themselves off as Orthodox. On the contrary, they spoke sincerely about their faith in Allah. A significant part of the ethnic group kyrymitika Roma moved in the early 1930s from the Crimean peninsula to Russia. However, so far there have been few cases of conversion from Islam to Orthodoxy.
And vice versa. many families servos ended up in Uzbekistan, and some ponies in Azerbaijan. As they were Orthodox, they remained. Although they lived in a Muslim environment for several decades. This is to the question of changing religion "like clothes" ...
A few more words about the "insincerity" of the gypsies in matters of faith.
The most revered holidays of this national minority are religious. Let's assume for a moment that the gypsies, as journalists say, are disguised and pretending. Then why are there practically no Russians at these holidays? If we are dealing with a performance designed for the gullible, we should celebrate Easter and Christmas for show, inviting all the neighbors!
There is another proof of the strength of religious foundations. During the gypsy trial, a person who stands his ground is required to worship the icon. If he swore before God, then, no matter how strong the evidence of his guilt, the words of justification are supposed to be believed. But not only money matters, but also the whole further life of a gypsy, the reputation of children, and so on.

Here we have reached the end of the discussion. As you can see, everything is so clear that there is nothing to argue about. One has only to wonder at a theory that has managed to develop for two hundred years in complete contradiction to the facts.

1. Kogalnichan. Essay on the history, customs and language of the gypsies. Northern bee. SPb., 1838. No. 82. P. 327.
2. Light in pictures. 1880. No. 8. S. 140.
3. Shile A. Gypsies. Nature and people. SPb., 1878. No. 11. S. 34-35.
4. Demeter N. Gypsies: myth and reality. M., 1995. P.74.
5. Klimontovich N. Gypsy essay. Russian telegraph. 10/29/1997.
6. Weideck H.E. Dictionary of gypsy life and lore. NY., 1973. P. 376.
7. Etzler Allan. Gypsies in Sweden. JGLS(3). XXV. Parts 3-4. R.82, 83.
8. Weideck H.E. Dictionary of gypsy life and lore. NY., 1973. P. 428.
9. Guili R. E. Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft. M., 1998. S. 616, 617.
10. Weideck H.E. Dictionary of gypsy life and lore. NY., 1973. P. 104.
11. Gypsy-Russian and Russian-Gypsy Dictionary (Kelderari dialect). M., 1990. P.63.
12. Weideck H.E. Dictionary of gypsy life and lore. NY., 1973. P. 65
13 Grellmann H.M.G. Historischer Versuch uber die Zigeuner. Gottingen, 1787. P.102.
14. Shile A. Gypsies. Nature and people. SPb., 1878. No. 11. S. 34-35.
15. Demeter N. Gypsies: myth and reality. M., 1995. P.74
16. Gorgeviћ Tikhomir R. Our people's belly. Book 7. Beograd, 1933. S. 53.
17. Ibid. pp. 52-57.
18. Gorgeviћ Tikhomir R. Our people's belly. Book 6. Beograd, 1932. S. 90-97.
19. Marushiakova E.; Popov V. Tsiganite in Bulgaria. Sofia, 1993. S. 76-7.
20. Ibid., pp. 79-80.
21. Sostyr eme achyam bidevlytka. M., 1934. S. 38.

One of the most frequently asked questions to me is what is the REAL faith of gypsies?
People who ask it are usually pre-configured to hear one of the following options: "Hindu/paganism", "fire worship/sun worship" or simply "Gypsies don't believe in anything".

And I, as an honest woman, have to destroy their world, explaining that the Muslim gypsies have the Muslim faith, and the Christian gypsies have the Christian faith, and in both cases the real one. And if Christian gypsies are quite mobile in relation to Christian denominations (Catholic Magyars do not see a big problem in moving to the Evangelical camp, because there is a cross here and there, for example), then they rarely and reluctantly switch from Christianity to Islam and vice versa, mostly the transition is made by women to the faith of their husband. True, inter-religious marriages among gypsies are rare.

The adherence to the faith of the ancestors among the Gypsies is surprisingly stable, although I have seen many times in tyrnetik statements that the Gypsies always follow the religious customs of the area where they are. However, there are cases when Russian gypsies in France, having fled there during civil war with the nobles, for years they did not baptize children, looking for Orthodox churches - and having already found out, they baptized everyone in a crowd and at once, in in large numbers. Some "newborns" at baptism were already fifteen or sixteen years old, their mustaches were breaking through or their chests were growing. Sometimes the next day after baptism, the newly baptized were married right there (if this is not a joke, of course). The Lovari Gypsies, who have been living in Russia for decades, are converting from Catholicism to Orthodoxy slowly and carefully, and mostly for a small number of Catholic churches and from considerations that "here is Christianity and there is Christianity." Muslim gypsies in Latin America a hundred years after arriving from the Balkans, they did not forget Islam, you can still meet them there.

Does this mean that Gypsies of different religions have nothing in common and no common, primordial beliefs or superstitions?

Of course there are, although now they are partially blurred. But traditionally, yes. And here they are:

4. Beliefs in filth. It is they who descend with the development of hygiene products and assimilation, the rest hold on much stronger. Carriers of filth can be the organs of the pelvic region, female legs and a skirt, death, human entrails, some types of sick people (oddly enough, in addition to tuberculosis and others like them, mentally retarded and mentally ill people sometimes come here), who have committed certain types of crimes, and, of course, feces.

As for the animation of the forces of nature (the moon-vampire, the whirlwind-thief) and beliefs in brownies and mermaids, upon closer examination, almost all of this turns out to be borrowed, and especially a lot from the Slavic population. In addition, they clearly occupy a smaller place in the worldview of the gypsies than those listed above.

By the way, with regard to my story about Lilyanka Horvat, then, if you notice, only beliefs around the dead and - a little - monotheism are actively disclosed. However, I have a patch for the next gypsy theme there - of course, Bakht. The first person to notice this was, it seems,

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Most of the Roma profess Christianity or Islam, but there are also representatives of other faiths.

Gypsies-Christians are very devout, they pay great attention to church holidays.

Orthodox gypsies in everyday life dress strictly according to the recommendations Orthodox Church. In the house of Orthodox gypsies, just like Russians, there is a “red corner” in which icons are located. The wedding is considered more important than the civil registration of marriage. More important than a wedding is only the "gypsy wedding", that is, the recognition of marriage by gypsy society. It is usually played before the wedding.

Orthodox gypsies consider St. Nicholas and St. George to be their patrons, Catholics - Blessed Seferino (officially approved in this role by the Vatican), as well as Mother Teresa and mythical character Saru Kali.

The most significant religious holidays for all Christian Gypsies are Easter and Christmas.

Muslim gypsies are also religious, but do not follow some Muslim customs. For example, Muslim gypsies do not cover their faces even in countries where it is customary local population; some groups of Muslim gypsies do not practice circumcision, etc.

AT different times Gypsies were persecuted or discriminated against on religious grounds. In the Turkish Empire, Christian gypsies were taxed heavily. In Kosovo, Albanian militants killed or drove out Roma along with other Christians. In modern Israel, Muslim gypsies (domari) are often discriminated against by the lower strata of the Jewish and Muslim population, and sometimes by the middle strata. Nevertheless, the religiosity of the gypsies is so great that they do not think of changing their faith, but in Soviet times did not become atheists, contrary to the common stereotype about gypsies, which says that they easily change their faith to one convenient for their place of residence.

Gypsies - religious figures

Ceferino Jimenez Malia

Mateo Maximov

Rodney Smith

Despite the poorly developed written culture, the Gypsies have a well-developed philosophy. Philosophical tales, songs and aphorisms make up a significant part of gypsy folklore. Most of the terms of philosophy are easily understood by non-gypsies, but some require a separate explanation.

Romanipe

It is conventionally accepted to translate this word as “gypsy spirit” or “gypsy culture”, but the meaning of this word is somewhat wider. Romanipe is the gypsy spirit, the gypsy essence, the gypsy law, the willingness and desire to follow the gypsy law, the awareness of belonging to the gypsy society, the desire to belong to the gypsy community, a set of gypsy character traits, etc. taken together. An ethnic non-gypsy who has Romanipe is recognized as a gypsy. Usually this is an adopted child of non-Roma origin, who grew up within the framework of the Romani culture.

A person who does not have Romanipe. This can even be an ethnic gypsy, brought up outside the framework of the gypsy culture, not having gypsy qualities and not striving to belong to the gypsy community. But still, usually "gadzho" (pl. "gadzhe") practically means "non-gypsy". The word itself comes from the Indian word "gavja" - "village dweller" (the ancestors of the gypsies were artists and artisans and opposed themselves to the peasants).

Romano rat

Literally translated as "gypsy blood". Romano rat is a carrier of gypsy genes. This includes both the gypsies themselves and the gadjes, who are gypsy mestizos. Ethnic gypsies, who are not aware of themselves as carriers of Romanipe, still belong to the Romano rat. It is believed that gypsy blood is strong, and among non-gypsies who are Romanor rat, it manifests itself in a craving for gypsy culture, a creative outlook on life, temperament and a constant spiritual search, wherever they were brought up.

Romanor rats are recognized for the right to become gypsies, however, the same stringent conditions for compliance with Romanipe are imposed as those who grew up inside the gypsy culture.

List famous people, which are Romano Rat

Vadim Kozin

Singer, USSR

Sarah Alexander

(Sara Alexander), ethno singer and accordionist, Israel-France

Adam Ant

Singer, actor, USA

Frederic Belinsky

Jazz guitarist, France

Vasily Volkov

Composer, Russia

Ronnie Wood

Guitarist for the Rolling Stones, UK

Evgeny Gudz(Eugene Hütz), vocalist and leader of the gypsy punk rock band Gogol Bordello

Nikolai Dobrynin

Actor, Russia

Yuri Dombrovsky

In Russia, the majority of Roma are Orthodox and undergo the rite of baptism. Many of them are quite devout. So, in the houses of settled gypsies there is a “red corner” with icons. They try to observe religious rites, and married couples they are sure to get married in a church, and the wedding ritual is considered more important than registering a marriage in the registry office. But even more important is the “gypsy wedding”, which is played even before the wedding - it means the recognition of marriage by the gypsy community.

The biggest Religious holidays for Orthodox gypsies - Christmas and Easter. For Turkish Christian Gypsies, the biggest holiday is Hidrelez, which is celebrated on the night of May 5-6. It is also celebrated in the Balkans, where it is called Ederlezi and is dedicated to St. George.

The Russian Vlach Gypsies have a curious custom. On Radonitsa, women and children certainly visit cemeteries, where they ask for alms from visitors. And it doesn't have to be beggars. Thus, they fulfill a certain Christian “duty”, helping other people to do a good deed. By the way, Russians often know about this and on this day they willingly serve change to the gypsies.

Muslim gypsies also pay attention to religious customs, but not all. So, gypsies in Islamic countries never cover their faces. Not everyone practices the rite of circumcision of the foreskin.

What is the religion of the gypsies? It's not just their outfits that are colorful. Their religious views are also very diverse. They mainly depend on where they live. Although, of course, there are exceptions to every rule.

Where do gypsies professing Orthodoxy live?

For example, among those who live in Russia, the prevailing religion is Orthodoxy, as is the case with the main part of Russians. As in the main part of the CIS countries. Romanians are also Orthodox.

In what countries do Muslim gypsies live?

Lyuli (gypsies living in Tajikistan) predominantly adhere to the Islamic faith. Like many living in Central Asia and North Africa.

And where do the gypsies-Catholics and Protestants live?

Among the Roma living in Poland and other European countries, the main religion is Catholicism. The same is true with Protestantism. In countries where this religion is widespread, they adhere to it.

In art

In the film "Gypsy Aza" the Sun was often mentioned, and even as a deity. Who knows, maybe they worshiped the Sun and followed him? In any case, one of these people could well.

A legend that is common among the gypsies

Among this people is common and beautiful legend. When the Romans decided to crucify Christ, they ordered the blacksmith (who, of course, was a gypsy) to make five large nails, that is, to forge, they were needed for the execution. Four are for the arms and legs, and the fifth is for the heart. He, of course, made an attempt to refuse, but he, with the help of whips, was forced to do this work.

When the execution began, the gypsy quietly swallowed the fifth nail intended for the heart. For this, the Lord loved all the gypsies and patronizes them to this day.

Another version is less poetic: the gypsy simply stole the fifth nail, and for this God allowed the gypsies to steal.

As with any nation, there are also atheists among the gypsies. This is especially typical in our time. And in principle, this is the most believing people. They regularly attend church and perform all the rituals typical of the country in which they live. This is especially true for the older generation.

What can be said as a conclusion?

The life and customs of the gypsy people are in many ways similar to the customs of the countries in which they live. That is, this people have the ability to adapt to everything. Including the religion of the state in which they live on this moment. They do not have an official religion, which these people adhere to in all countries of residence.