For example, the prevalence of Romani people in Persia and Europe in the 11th and 15th centuries respectively can be predicated as a dramatic increase in Romani populations; but specific numbers both then and now remain mere ballpark figures. are the ones who do not follow our cleaning rules and rituals. Im glad you mentioned not breaking things willy-nilly to break away the bad luck. One tradition is that you should put a spoon in your mouth and lean over the sink, or try drinking a glass of water upside-down. I love the one about keeping thread in your mouth while you sew. 4. If you do, prepare to wet the bed over the night! The practice of "gypsy magic" emphasizes fortune-telling, the use of charms, healing and protection spells. Although this belief may seem strange, its not uncommon for people in the UK who have been burgled to say that they were targeted because the thief knew where to find them. Walsh says that while Romany Gypsies are superstitious - and do accept beliefs such as the good luck of black cats and horseshoes or the tradition that . If you dream of killing a bear, its a sign that youre free of all tangles in your life. Its also considered bad luck to burn bread or flour on Sundays as they are sacred days of rest. Article Images Copyright . Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, things about Romania that youve probably havent heard about, Juvet A Spectacular Landscape Hotel in Norway, Where to Stay in the Portuguese Countryside: 22 Most Beautiful Retreats, Your Budget-Friendly Weekend Guide to Porto. Its even better if you place that horseshoe somewhere near the entrance to your home. 13. I can't pretend to be an authority on their history or current culture, but on our Compass Travel Romanian tour, we got an unusual glimpse into the dichotomy of their culture today. Even if your little guy isn't born with a set of chompers, Danior is still a cool Romani name for you to "sink your teeth" into. 16. We also have our own language, Romani, which is descended from Sanskrit. If your nose it itching, though, it means that somebody will beat you up. Doesnt everyone strive to fit in, with their families, their friends and communities? But worry not, if you say God Forbid! (Doamne Fereste!) History of the Gypsy/Roma . Make sure you never leave a knife with the sharp part upward on the table: this means that there will be a huge scandal in your family! Romani People. At the same time, if you spend money on the 1st of the month, expect to have an entire month full of spending! Contrary to popular belief, we did not choose this life; we are born Gypsies. My advice: dont bother looking for written references. These are all I can think of right now. We believe that some people can be so marime that just by spending time with them, you can become marime by association; this is another reason why you will not be accepted into a group of Romany individuals. three times, it will not happen. what about the (irrational) fear of getting a dog hair in your mouth if you own a dog? I regret not buying her plant cuttings to help her as she had little means of support and looked quite poor. Gypsy families are often quite large, with many children and extended family members living together in one home. The Gypsies, or Roma as they are generally called, are the second largest minority in Romania, and the relationship of majority to minority is a fascinating one. I played a lot of basketball in my youth and I am now ashamed to admit how many times I wore the same pair of socks just to keep the winning streaks going, And now that I look at my list, it seems that no matter what you do, you risk doing something that will bring you bad luck. 57. Who Are the Gypsies and What Do They Believe? If the cat is washing on the threshold, you will be visited by a priest. I am interested since my great-grandparents (whom I did not know) were from Romania. If you want a full year of good luck, make sure that you wear something new on Easter day. (Who makes these things up???). This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 16:46. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. You can be settled in a house and still be Romany, . The man goes to the girl's family and tells the father they would . Danior. This will make your protecting angel to run away from you. Romanian beliefs regarding death are based in Orthodox Christianity, including a belief in the afterlife, reverence of the Virgin Mary and the importance of salvation for the soul. It is a common misconception that Romany people naturally have wanderlust. I was trying to learn more about Romania and I stumbled upon your thread. But you can easily fix that by simply taking a pinch of salt and throwing it over your shoulder. Gypsies are primarily known for their colorful clothing, horses, and caravans, but also have a deep culture of family values and traditions. Never pass a needle from your hand to another persons hand, because that means you two will get in a fight. This is just one of the many superstitions in Romania that cant really be explained logically, but which exists. The vast majority of Romany laws revolve around the belief that the universe is separated into what is clean and what is dirty (. Its not good to spill salt on the table, either because you will get into a fight with somebody you know. 42. . If you want to make a man fall in love with you then make him eat a cake in which you introduced a piece of your nail WTF?!?!? 1. Because of this distrust, European nations over the centuries have enslaved, expelled, imprisoned, and executedRomani people. As part of this tradition, it is not uncommon for a gypsy family to have members from another family living with them. Last edited on 13 February 2023, at 16:46, Learn how and when to remove this template message, The Red King and the Witch: Gypsy Folk and Fairy Tales, "Moses Gaster i colecia sa de poveti populare ale iganilor din Romnia", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Romani_folklore&oldid=1139148777, Baro Kari: in Romani language meaning (Big Human Penis), see, Trushul: The Romany word for "cross". to yourself by how you think or interact with other individuals. Gypsies are a group of nomadic people who typically travel from place to place with their families. The most heinous accusation was that they kidnapped the young, a charge frequently hurled against Jews as well. Our focus is not on how but why you have caught certain conditions. They have been in existence for centuries and often go by the name Romani or Rom. Photographer explores rituals and traditions of Romania's modern witches. Further, some Romani groups still follow the practice of arranged marriages, teen marriage, and "bride prices"paid by the grooms family to the brides family. If you happen to find a horseshoe, youre very lucky and many good things will happen. If you bite your tongue while eating, its because youve recently told a lie. In English these people are often called Gypsies. Seeing an ambulance brings bad luck unless you pinch your nose right away or hold your breath until you see a brown or a black dog. We can be belittled, ostracized and excommunicated for something as little as dropping a cloth. I just tried to look up a phrase in Romanian and stumbled on the superstitions! Were going to talk about them all in todays article, which will probably turn out to be a very funny one. Isnt there something about draftswindows kept shut to prevent drafts which Should I be excited or nervous? Dreaming About Dead Relatives Spiritual Significance, Interpretation & Meaning, White Moths & The Spiritual Meaning and Symbolism, What It Means When Your Feet Itch Spiritual & Superstitions, Itchy nose meaning Superstition or Omen, The Boondock Saints Prayer Everything You Need to Know. In fact, most of what we know about the Romani culture has been passed down through oral histories because the Romani language remains largely unwritten. Therefore, you can attract not only diseases. Its important to note that many of the nations criticized for discriminating against the Romani are largely Christian nations, i.e. I was told not to boil eggs at night or the devil will come or not shaving or getting haircuts on Mondays, dont stir drinks with a knife and dont go out with wet hair or a current of wind will make you sick. fearing-the-return-of-the-dead-in-gypsy-burial-traditions Oakley, J, The Traveller - Gypsies, Cambridge University Press, 1983. In Serbian and Bulgarian folklore, rain on ones wedding day is said to bring a lifetime of happiness with their spouse. 34. At least one window should always be opened at a funeral to allow the spirit to leave. (Vai da mor de curent) My parents would always say if you sneeze someones talking about you, if your left eye twitches youll receive money but if youre right eye twitches youll lose money. If you spend time in their environment, touch their stuff and use their cutlery, you too will become marime. 11. Its not good to give animals for free because you will carry them on your back on the other side. To many, Romania is still a land of myth and legend. ), rodents, reptiles or anything which touches the ground are all marime. Romani, or Romany, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 5-6 million Roma people throughtout Europe and the USA. Because certain conditions are marime, those who suffer from these conditions are given special treatment. Calling it devil can help dilute any negative effects it may have. Superstitions are avoided like the plague and anything Romani men and women can do to keep any evil energy away from expecting parents comes first. Europeans have long portrayed the Roma/Gypsies as cunning outsiders who stealfrom local residents before moving on to the next town. I was traveling in Transylvania, Romania and stopped at a local village to see an ancient castle tourist site. I did know my Hungarian great-grandmother, who did this all the time. Gypsy money superstitions are connected to a persons luck. As a displaced people targeted by popular society, Romani culturefocuses heavily on family, customs, and self-governance. 9. If you are unfortunate enough to break one (willingly or not), prepare for 7 years of bad luck! They are no longer nomadic. Never wish Good luck to a fisherman. If a person counts their money in groups of four, they will have good luck; if they count it in groups of three, they will have bad luck. However, precise statistics about American Romanies are limited due to: In an effort to remedy the lack of statistics on American Romanies, Harvard University has recently launched a studyto assess the structural, social, and economic status of American Romani communities. 47. Other legends include the ability to levitate, travel through astral projection by way of meditation, invoke curses or blessings, conjure or channel spirits, and skill with illusion-casting. 6. They believe that the world is round and they must keep traveling in order to maintain balance with it. 56. Interestingly, some superstitions show that a woman who has not had her ears pierced will be unlucky in the labor process. Dressing themselves in bright clothing and practicing fortunetelling, the Roma quickly attracted the ire of the Roman Catholic Church, but also the allure of the forbidden. Youll also have a good year if the first person that walks in your home when the year begins is a man. It is wise to pitch a tent near a . An old Romanian proverb says: Do not speak badly of the Devil because you cannot know to whom you will belong . Some of this superstitions are common in my country too (I remember old people saying to me not to play with fire before going to sleep because I could pee in bed) 10 May 2003. 5. Romany people are not ignorant to how illnesses are spread. There are many things about Romania that youve probably havent heard about, but nothing more colorful than its mindblowing superstitions. apparently, it results in something terrible!? If you spill water on the floor, never wash it with your foot. April 06, 2011 8:00 PM. Gypsy Culture. For example, once a Romani/gypsy girl reaches puberty, shes expected to wear long skirts and dresses. 4. Dolores Smyth writes on faith and family. Even as adults, myself and my sisters are warned by our family not to accept food or drink from people who are not related to us, just in case they do not follow our rules or customs such as how we wash dishes. The Roma, also known as "Gypsies," represents one of Romania's largest minorities. Never make payments on a Monday, or else you will give money all week. It is a Romanian gypsy custom to do homage to the Wodna Zena, or "Water-Woman" by spilling a few drops of water on the ground after filling a jug, and it is regarded as an insult to offer drink without observing this ceremony. 33. For example, because rats are marime, we call them things, the things or long things. Writer and content creator for PA, specializing in phenomena that is sometimes beyond normal scientific understanding. He can appear quickly, happy with the availability of the person who wishes to be initiated into the secrets of witchcraft. 23. In reality, being a real Romany Gypsy is not a life of lackadaisical sea-shore living. Remembering our Family, New Forest . I will agree with Angela not all gypsies are Roma or Romani. One such tradition is not wearing anything new on Easter Sunday, which they believe will bring bad luck. Im from Mexico, currently, Im learning the Romanian language. If guests at your wedding talk about marriage after the sunset, then the groom will cheat on his bride. You will also not get married if somebody will brush your feet with a broomstick. 7. This was in the heroic period of the study of folklore, when devoted scholars built up the field from scratch. 10. Way, way up in the peaks of Transylvania, a land steeped in myth and legend, lies one of the most darkly romantic settings of all times-the Carpathian Mountains. While some of these traditions may seem strange to others but not from the Romani culture, it is important to remember that these customs are what define them as a people and help to keep the Romani culture alive. 5. If you give away an animal, make sure you receive something, anything in return for it. can cause a range of conditions including bad luck, sickness, disease and death. They migrated widely, particularly to Europe, while other groups stayed and became sedentary. Hi! In Romani, there is not a word for menstruation. Remember: there are probably many more, but the ones below are probably the most common. Because Gypsies originally came from India many centuries ago, their languages are rooted in Sanskrit, but with . The Peaky Blinders gang that historically operated in real-life 1920s Birmingham drew men from many cultural backgrounds, including Irish-Romani Gypsies. Nothing more colorful than its mindblowing superstitions and throwing it over your shoulder angel to away. 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