What religious customs do Gypsies observe? Where did the gypsies come from and why are they not loved anywhere?
Gypsies are a mysterious nomadic people. Their life and history are shrouded in many myths and prejudices, and their culture is original and has roots in the distant past. Historians, cultural experts, ethnologists and ordinary people are concerned with the question of where they came from, how they live and what kind of faith the gypsies have.
Gypsies - who are they?
Gypsies are one of the largest ethnic groups in Europe. Bulgarian ethnologists call it an intergroup ethnic formation. The essence of this definition lies in the characteristics of the settlement of Roma in different territories. The mosaic distribution of gypsies is associated with a huge variety of their varieties and distinctive features. Depending on the territory of residence, there are different ethnic self-names: Sinti, Manush - people, Kale - black, Roma (Romani) - a general political designation for all Gypsies living in Europe.
Having no permanent habitat, gypsies live in all corners of the planet except Antarctica.
Types of gypsies
The division of Roma into ethnic groups depends on their territorial location and occupation. Ethnologists distinguish three western and three eastern branches of the gypsies.
Western ones include:
- Roma is one of the largest groups. It includes the gypsies who occupy the territory of Europe.
- Sinti - German and French gypsies.
- Iberians - Spaniards and Portuguese.
The eastern branch is formed by:
- Lyuli are Central Asian gypsies.
- Bosha are gypsy peoples occupying the territories of Turkey and the Caucasus.
- Home - Arab peoples and those living in Israel.
There are small gypsy groups that are difficult to attribute to any specific branch. On the territory of Europe live ethnic groups that are similar in culture, but not related to the gypsies: Travelers from Ireland and Yenish from Central Europe.
Researchers of Gypsy culture talk about the possibility of dividing Gypsies into groups according to their type of activity.
What religion do the gypsies profess?
Gypsy culture is closely connected with the Gypsies, forms their traditions, customs and moral and ethical standards and, as a rule, depends on the territory of residence. The main religions to which the Roma belong are Christianity and Islam. But to this day, features of Hinduism, Shaivism, animism, Zoroastrianism and magical elements have been preserved in official beliefs.
Researchers argue that the adoption of a particular religion was a way of self-defense. When settling in a particular region, the gypsies tried to at least outwardly conform to the followers of the local religion, so as not to come into conflict with the indigenous population.
Regardless of what faith the gypsies of one group or another belong to, their mentality and beliefs, developed over a long period of their existence, leave an imprint on the adherence to certain moral norms.
Outward acceptance of the official religion gives the Roma the opportunity to pay tribute to their pagan and animistic idols. For example, Central Asian gypsies had gods representing the Sun. The faith of gypsies in the West is based on the idolization of the Moon. The full moon was considered a holiday on which magical rituals and witchcraft rituals were carried out. The faith of the gypsies in India is based on the idolization of the phallus; the cult of Shiva and the goddess Kali is also widespread here.
Regardless of what faith Gypsies belong to, they pay great attention to protection from evil spirits. A serious task is to protect the newborn from powerful demonic forces. After birth, he is sprinkled with salt water and given a name that will be spoken only at certain periods of his life. The rest of the time the worldly name is used.
Veneration of the Saints
The faith of the Roma is based on the veneration of female religious images. Despite the dominant role of men in society, their main saint is a woman. No matter what religion the gypsies are, everyone honors the mythological image of Saint Sarah. There are several legends associated with it. According to the first, she was the savior of the relatives of Mary Magdalene; during a terrible storm, she saved them by finding the way to the shore by the stars. The second legend says that she was the first to receive the Holy Revelation from the saints who sailed past her camp.
Gypsies who believe in an afterlife try to protect themselves from meeting the deceased. So that nothing holds the souls of the dead in this world, they burn all the things of the deceased and their houses. There are those who do not believe in life after death. Also, according to some ethnic groups, the soul can return to earth three times, once every 500 years. Serbian gypsies claim that after death a person lives the same life, but indefinitely.
Spirits and vampires are designated by the word "mullo". If a gypsy dies at the hands of a person, the mullo will find and hunt down the culprit. Slavic gypsies believe in werewolves. They become those who led a dissolute lifestyle or became victims of a vampire.
Customs of the Gypsies
The faith of the gypsies determines their customs. Russian Orthodox Gypsies are devout and the rite of baptism is obligatory for them. In Gypsy houses there is a “red corner” with icons. In Russia, Gypsies celebrate Christmas and Easter and get married in church. An important stage of a gypsy wedding is the recognition of the union by the community. This is the initial and most important stage of marriage. On Radonitsa, gypsies visit cemeteries where they beg for alms. This tradition is considered good, since those who give at this moment perform a good deed, fulfilling their Christian duty.
Saint George is one of the most revered gypsy saints. Holidays in honor of him are held in Turkey and the Balkans. Muslims also pay great attention to customs. However, women ignore the need to cover their faces, and men do not undergo circumcision.
Myths and legends of the gypsies
Whatever religion the gypsies belong to, there are common beliefs that determine their entire worldview. There is a story that a gypsy stole a nail that Roman legionnaires were supposed to drive into the head of the crucified Christ. For this, God blessed all the people and allowed them to steal. In reality, the tendency to steal is only a consequence of the historically established worldview of the gypsies.
They are convinced that everything created by God belongs to people and exists for the common good. Thus, fruits, animals and birds are a gift from God, given to people for free use. Today, theft is the main way of earning money for gypsies.
Raymond Buckland in his book “Gypsies. Mysteries of Life and Traditions” tells about a real case when gypsy children baptized the same borrowed baby eight times in different churches, because at the baptism the priest gave the child a coin. The lack of ties to a specific territory is also perceived as a gift from God; the gypsies believe that the Almighty has given the whole world at their disposal.
Russian gypsies. Customs and faith of Roma in Russia
According to official data, 200 thousand Roma live in Russia today. Their actual number exceeds these figures by at least five times. This is due to the fact that at the time many indicated other nationalities.
“Russka Roma” have their own dialect - a mixture of Russian, Polish and German. The traditional activities of Russian gypsies are horse breeding, music playing, dancing, fortune telling and the circus. It was in Russia that the genre of gypsy romance was born.
Most Russian Roma are Christians. But what kind of faith the Gypsies have in Russia is not important, the main thing for them is the general Gypsy law. The fewest rules govern relations with non-gypsies: here it is necessary to adhere to the norms of behavior that are established in society. More important are the laws of communication with both gypsies and non-gypsies: the prohibition of murder, rape, and physical mutilation.
Respect for the guest is mandatory. The largest number of rules concern behavior within the Roma community. The main thing is that no one has the right to elevate himself above another. However, in every community there is an unspoken leader and intermediary who is responsible for communication with the outside world. Most often such a person is
Gypsy laws strictly regulate communication with each other, with elders, children and women, the procedure for holding holidays, the rules for choosing clothing and a list of “decent” activities are regulated. Worthy professions are those associated with creativity, handicrafts, pottery and carpentry.
A significant part of Russian gypsies today are associated with crime. Among them, as among other ethnic groups, theft, begging and drug trafficking occur. At the same time, there is another side to the gypsy society, which includes talented singers, musicians and actors. For example, in Russia there is a worldwide popular
Impact on culture
The unique flavor of gypsy art had a tremendous influence on world culture: music, poetry and cinema. Everyone knows the heroes: the gypsy Esmeralda from Hugo’s “Notre Dame Cathedral”, the fatal Carmen of Georges Bizet, Pushkin’s Zemfira and Aleko, the modern boho style, touching romances and the music of Goran Bregovic - humanity owes all this heritage to the gypsies.
Finally
Gypsies are a complex and mysterious people. You cannot fully experience their culture without immersing yourself in it personally. The main thing is not to form your ideas solely based on the image of dirty beggars on the streets. In fact, the Roma are a distinctive and extraordinary ethnic group with their own laws, customs, rich culture and valuable heritage.
They profess the ruling power in the country of their residence. In some places they also learn the language of the surrounding population, finally losing their native language.
For example, in Russia Gypsies are Orthodox, in Russia they are Catholics, in Russia they are Mohammedans, and so on. This does not prevent them from everywhere observing many religious rituals and views taken from their old homeland. This is evidenced by their ethnographically interesting wedding and funeral rites, during childbirth, when naming children, and so on. Their views on the afterlife and funeral rites belong to the most primitive ones.
Rites of the Gypsies
Here are some customs and rituals from the life of gypsies: Wedding. A week before the wedding, the bride and groom go to a river or lake and place two lit candles on the shore. If one of them goes out before it burns out, it is considered a bad omen; then young people throw apples and eggs into the water (sacred objects of common Aryan mythology) to appease the spirits and gods of the water.
Funeral. A white dog is brought to a dying person, which licks him in order to quickly lure the soul out of the body. During the agony, things are taken out of the tent that the soul could trip over as it leaves the body. After carrying out the deceased (not through the door, but by pulling back the back wall of the tent), in the yard they place a pole at the head, stuck into the ground, and ask the deceased: “Did the great god kill you?” If it seemed to those present that the deceased had moved, it means that he was killed by the enemy’s machinations, and it is necessary to take revenge.
The journey of the soul to the afterlife (through deserts, mountains, rivers) even down to the details resembles the beliefs of the most primitive peoples. The afterlife for gypsies is no different from the earthly one. Mute, deaf, hunchbacked remain so there too. The soul returns to the body no earlier than when only bones remain from the corpse in the grave. The fate of people who die an unnatural death is completely different from those who die a natural death. Those who drown remain imprisoned in pots by the owners of the water until their bodies rot. Those killed live in the bodies of wild animals until the death of their killers. The souls of those who died in houses (not in tents) wander on the ground until their house is completely destroyed. Social institutions were preserved just as primitively.
One of the most frequently asked questions to me is what is the REAL faith of the gypsies?
People who ask it are usually pre-set to hear one of the following options: “Hinduism/paganism”, “fire/sun worship” or simply “Gypsies don’t believe in anything”.
And I, as an honest woman, have to destroy their world, explaining that Muslim gypsies have a Muslim faith, and Christian gypsies have a Christian faith, and in both cases it is real. And if Christian gypsies are quite mobile in relation to Christian denominations (Catholic Magyars do not see a big problem in going over to the camp of evangelists, because there is a cross here and there, for example), then from Christianity to Islam and vice versa they rarely and reluctantly switch, mostly The transition is made by women to their husband's faith. True, interreligious marriages among Roma are rare.
The adherence to the faith of their ancestors among the Gypsies is surprisingly persistent, although I have seen many times in Tyrnetika statements that the Gypsies always follow the religious customs of the area where they are located. However, there are cases when Russian gypsies in France, having fled there during the Civil War with the nobles, did not baptize their children for years, looking for Orthodox churches - and having already found them, they baptized everyone en masse and at once, in large numbers. Some “newborns” at baptism were already fifteen or sixteen years old, they had a mustache or were growing breasts. Sometimes the next day after baptism, the newly baptized people got married right there (if this is not a joke, of course). The Lovarian gypsies, who have been living in Russia for decades, are moving from Catholicism to Orthodoxy slowly and cautiously and mainly for the small number of Catholic churches and for the reason that “here is Christianity and there is Christianity.” Muslim gypsies in Latin America have not forgotten Islam a hundred years after arriving from the Balkans; 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, there is. And here they are:
1. Belief that God is one. Gypsies treat polytheism with distrust and surprise; no polytheistic Gypsies have been found. It is not known whether their Indian ancestors had such a belief; I am inclined to think that this attitude was picked up during the advance along the Great Silk Road, i.e. quite late, a little more than a thousand and less than one and a half thousand years ago.
2. Beliefs in the dead returning to the world of the living, whether they be vampires, dead people seeking burial, or warning ghosts. There is not even a separate name for them, because this is one of the natural states of the dead. He may be lying in a grave, he may be visiting his wife, he may be dancing in a clearing, he may be dreaming - this means danger. A dead man is a dead man, whatever the names are.
3. Special beliefs around Bakht - good luck, happiness. This also includes beliefs in “black luck”, i.e. failure, in essence, “gypsy luck”, which carries you along a crooked path, and the evil eye as a deprivation of luck. This belief system is developed and complex; it occupies a lot of space in the worldview and life of the Roma. At the same time, Bakht is not something personified or animated. This is a property, a quality. I have already written a little about beliefs on this topic.
4. Beliefs in defilement. They are the ones who are disappearing with the development of hygiene products and assimilation; the rest are holding on much stronger. The carriers of defilement can be the organs of the pelvic region, women’s legs and skirts, death, human entrails, some types of sick people (oddly enough, in addition to tuberculosis patients and others like them, this sometimes includes the mentally retarded and mentally ill), who have committed certain types of crimes, and , of course, feces.
As for the animation of the forces of nature (the vampire moon, the kidnapping whirlwind) and the 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 Roma than those listed above.
By the way, as for my story about Lilyanka Horvath, if you noticed, only the beliefs around the dead and - a little - monotheism are actively revealed. However, I have a background there for the next gypsy theme - of course, Bakht. The first person to notice this was, it seems, gray_koala :) So now you know what secret of her life Lilyanka will have to unravel in “Princes and Bastards”.
Did you like the story? Gild the handle, beautiful;)
Page 1
Most Gypsies profess Christianity or Islam, but there are also representatives of other faiths.
Christian gypsies are very devout and pay great attention to church holidays.
Orthodox gypsies dress strictly in everyday life according to the recommendations of the Orthodox Church. In the house of Orthodox Gypsies, just like Russians, there is a “red corner” in which icons are located. A wedding is considered more important than civil registration of marriage. The only thing more important than a wedding is a “gypsy wedding,” that is, the recognition of marriage by the gypsy society. It is usually played before the wedding.
Orthodox gypsies consider St. Nicholas the Pleasant and St. George their patron, Catholics consider Blessed Seferino (officially approved in this role by the Vatican), as well as Mother Teresa and the mythical character Sarah Kali.
The most significant religious holidays for all Christian gypsies are Easter and Christmas.
Muslim Gypsies are also religious, but do not practice some Muslim customs. For example, Muslim gypsy women do not cover their faces even in countries where this is customary among the 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 subject to increased taxes. In Kosovo, Albanian fighters killed or expelled 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. However, the religiosity of the Roma is so great that they do not think of changing their faith, and in Soviet times they did not become atheists, contrary to the widespread stereotype about the Roma, which says that they easily change their faith to one convenient for their place of residence.
Gypsies are religious figures
Ceferino Jimenez Malla
Mateo Maximov
Rodney Smith
Despite their poorly developed written culture, the Roma have a well-developed philosophy. Philosophical tales, songs and aphorisms form a significant part of Gypsy folklore. Most of the philosophical terms are easily understood by non-Gypsies, but some require 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 broader. 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 qualities, etc. in the aggregate. An ethnic non-Gypsy who has Romanipe is recognized as a Gypsy. This is usually an adopted child of non-Roma origin who grew up within the gypsy culture.
A person who does not have a romanipe. This could even be an ethnic gypsy, brought up outside the framework of gypsy culture, who does not have gypsy qualities and does not aspire to belong to the gypsy community. But still, usually “gadjo” (plural “gadje”) 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 Gadje, who are Gypsy mestizos. Ethnic gypsies who do not recognize themselves as carriers of Romanipe still belong to Romano rat. It is believed that Gypsy blood is strong, and among non-Gypsies who are Romani, it manifests itself in a craving for Gypsy culture, a creative outlook on life, temperament and a constant spiritual search, no matter where they were raised.
The right to become gypsies is recognized for Romanians, but at the same time the same strict conditions for compliance with Romanipes are imposed as for those who grew up within the gypsy culture.
List of famous people who are Romano rats
Vadim Kozin
Singer, USSR
Sarah Alexander
(Sara Alexander), singer and accordionist in ethnic style, Israel-France
Adam Ant
Singer, actor, USA
Frederick Belinsky
Jazz guitarist, France
Vasily Volkov
Composer, Russia
Ronnie Wood
Guitarist of the Rolling Stones, UK
Evgeniy Gudz(Eugene Hütz), vocalist and leader of the gypsy punk rock band Gogol Bordello
Nikolay Dobrynin
Actor, Russia
Yuri Dombrovsky
First, let's get acquainted with the literary tradition. Based on the quotes below, one can judge what they have written about the religiosity of the Gypsies over the last two hundred years:
They do not profess any religion, but follow fetishism, that is, they worship objects useful to their life: tents, carts and forges; They believe, like the Turks, in predestination. In Christian lands they pretend to be Christians, in Turkey they pretend to be Mohammedans, and with Jews they are Jews. 1
Mihail Kogalniceanu. 1837
The gypsies have no trace of religion, and if one eastern writer claims that “in the world there are seventy-two faiths and a half,” 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 about the Christian faith, gypsies usually willingly accept it, but only outwardly. At the same time, he does not even distinguish what kind of faith he accepts - for him all faiths are equally incomprehensible; he only looks at which one is more profitable for him. 3
A. Schiele. 1878
...Gypsies are not at all religious and are more superstitious than pious. As many researchers of gypsy life have noted, when asked: “What faith are you?” The gypsies answered: “Which one do you need?” 4
Nadezhda Demeter. 1995
It’s interesting, let’s say, that in the Russian outback they may well be Orthodox: they go to church and earnestly cross themselves. If they migrate to Tataria tomorrow, they will be exemplary Muslims. They seem to be “afraid of being fired.” 5
Nikolai Klimontovich. 1997
By and large, the literature on the religious views of the Roma can be divided into two movements. They are not formalized into strict schools, since often the same author in the first paragraph leans toward one system of views, and then, without batting an eye, defends another. Such confusion is typical of Gypsy studies. But let's still make a distinction. There are two theories:
1. Gypsies are pagans. But they hide it, accepting a different faith for the sake of appearance.
2. Gypsies are conformists who change religion with extraordinary ease, guided only by profit.
Agree, this is not the same thing. In the first case, the gypsies have their own religion. They may hide it for security reasons, but it still exists.
Pagan religion? In the modern world this is not a crime. In India alone, eight hundred million people worship pagan gods - which does not prevent governments from concluding diplomatic treaties with this state, and ordinary people loving Indian cinema... So, if you imagine that the gypsies (people of Indian origin) would, by inertia, 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 mark on gypsies. They are atheists, hypocrites. They do not believe in anything, but at the same time they pretend to believe.
Now I will analyze both belief systems in order.
I'll start with 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, spirits of ancestors and the like. The ancestors of modern Swedes, Norwegians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, Poles, and Irish were then pagans. I'm not even talking about our own ancestors. Even in those Western countries that officially adopted Christianity relatively quickly, pagan communities continued to exist, which caused a lot of concern among the dominant church.
But the indigenous peoples of Europe still believed in Christ, didn’t they?
We believed. Some before the gypsies, some at the same time, and some even later... And another big question is whose “Christian experience” is longer!
When the camps reached Byzantium, they no longer adhered to pagan cults. Their conversion to Orthodoxy was recorded in writing already in 1322 by Simon Simeonis and Hugo the Enlightened. However, the gypsies adopted Christianity not in Byzantium, but much earlier - while in Armenia. In any case, it was from the Armenian language that some words from church use entered the Gypsy language. So the word " patradi" (from the Armenian "patarag" - worship) - 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" (Trident of Shiva) 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 leaving Byzantium, nothing indicates that at least some of the camps worshiped Indian deities. Of course, when nomads appeared in Western Europe, not everyone believed their version of a pilgrimage to atone for sins. And ordinary people, nobles, and clergy gossiped that the uninvited guests were in fact: atheists, pagans, idolaters, Mohammedans...6 That’s right, separated by commas, all this was said, although atheism, paganism and Islam are conflicting worldviews.
Who won: the gossipers or the sensible Europeans? Not least of all, this depended on the gypsies themselves. It was their everyday behavior that inclined the church and parishioners to one policy or another. I dare say that the gypsies “passed the test” of religious loyalty with honor. In any case, the Inquisition did not touch them (for more details, see).
Let's look at the situation using the example of one specific 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 entire West was in awe at that time. Believing that they were dealing with pagans, the Swedes even called the newcomers “Tatars” - it took a hundred years for this erroneous term to be supplanted 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 passed strictly prohibiting the clergy from dealing 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 implemented carelessly. Queen Christina discussed with her court council whether to send the gypsies to America, but this was just a discussion. In practice, the Gypsies were equated with “vagabonds and poor people,” only those caught red-handed stealing and the like were sent to the galleys. In a word, the nomadic camps and society seemed to be eyeing 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 specific place, were allowed into the flock. The softening of the church position had an impact on society as a whole.7
So, gradually the situation returned to normal. Dark mothers, as befits Christian women, 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 nomadic people? And now Charles Lelan is frightening the gullible public with details that are known only to him. According to him, the gypsies of Scandinavia gather once a year under the cover of darkness in order to “unbaptize” all the children whom their parents have recently baptized in order to lure gifts from strangers. On this occasion, wild orgies are organized. The nomads worship a small idol, which is kept in great secrecy by the leader of their tribe.8 This was written in the 19th century, but even today you can find in quite respectable publications cave ideas about the religious views of the gypsies. Rosemary Helen Guilley writes:
"The world of the gypsies is inhabited by various spirits and deities. Del is both a god and "all that is above" - the sky, heavens and celestial bodies. Faraun 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 Christians, the gypsies imagined the devil as a monster with a tail, like a reptile and the ability to change appearance. There are legends about a conspiracy with the devil. The worship of the moon and fire is strong among the gypsies; apparently, they never worshiped the sun, at least 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 ascended to the moon when he finished 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 like the Greek Lamia, who strangles gorgio - 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
Don’t ask where the researcher got such, to put it mildly, unverified information. Conversations about the beliefs of gypsies have always been conducted according to the principle: “One woman said it.” Here is a quote from the work of a foreign gypsy scholar, who, however, did not share the theory about the “godlikeness” of the horse, and wrote something exactly the opposite:
“This horse sacrifice is also observed among the Gypsies of the Russian Empire. In 1830, a Russian landowner told me that the Gypsies in the vicinity of Moscow and on the Don sacrifice horses and eat part of their meat, performing the most ancient rite of idolatry.”10
The nameless landowner told - the gypsy scholar wrote it down. The theory has been proven!.. Of course, Russian gypsies will be surprised if they hear that they had such a custom. But who cares about their surprise and indignation? Paper will endure anything.
The inventions of our compatriot Eliseev caused great harm to Gypsy studies. As you know, he published a book 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 the dying theory have found a way out. For several decades now, there has been a thesis in pseudo-scientific journalism that the gypsies have their own pagan God - Davel... The reader, without understanding it, may even believe it. After all, in the Gypsy-Russian dictionary there is a vocative form of 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 have “Dieu.” And the Spaniards have “Diaz.” It would take a long time to list, 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 a long time ago, and in a remote province... and in general, the gypsies are a very secretive tribe. They reveal their secrets only to those whom they trust unquestioningly.
Needless to say, this is nonsense. Faith in God is not something shameful. The entire history of mankind shows that people are proud of their faith and 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 especially applies to our homeland. One can hardly call tsarist Russia intolerant, in which Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Lamaism and shamanic cults legally coexisted. So what was the point for the gypsies to hide their paganism (if it really existed)? 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 completely openly!
So: not a single gypsy confirms that they worship Dundra or Faraun, not a single Russian woman who has entered into an interethnic marriage has encountered anything 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 as paganism a belief in creatures similar to our brownies, goblins, and mermaids. Such characters were borrowed from the Russian common people during two centuries of ethnocultural contacts. If we include goblin in the pagan pantheon, then let’s first deny the indigenous people the right to be called Christian. )
So, we seem to have figured out the first theory. But before I part with it, I will quote a most interesting fragment. It's like a bridge. Connecting thread. Smooth transition to theory number two. Western gypsy scholar Charles Lelan, who visited Russia in the late eighties of the 19th century, was forced to grit his teeth and admit that our gypsies are Orthodox. Look, however, in what form this confession was made:
“I discovered, having studied this subject, that the Russian gypsies profess Christianity. But the church of the Greek rite, as far as I saw, is 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 a Western researcher, our Orthodoxy is, in essence, the same paganism. You offended? Now try to put yourself in the place of the gypsies. Where Russian believers listen to one printed slander, they listen to thousands. In order to better understand the gypsies, let's do a little psychological experiment. Let’s imagine that a Western journalist, having visited Moscow, writes the following:
“From the outside, a Russian person looks Orthodox (this is embodied in icons, prayer services and churches). But in the depths of barbarian souls sits a cult, absorbed with mother’s milk, which is carefully hidden from the uninitiated. For Russians worship the navel of a whale that vomited out all living things.”
Of course, for Russians such an article is just poorly written fiction. And the gypsies should be sympathized with. They have been written about them in this vein for several centuries now. And they are not going to stop...
Now about the second theory, which says: “Gypsies are hypocrites.”
Unfortunately, in the scientific literature there is a preconceived idea that the nomadic people changed their religion under the influence of self-interest. Ethnographers relied on the fact that in every country the gypsies “adapt” to the dominant church. From their reasoning it appears that, having driven to unfamiliar places, the head of the family gathered everyone around the fire and made a speech: “Stop praying in the old way. There are different orders here. From tomorrow we will pretend that we believed in a different god!”
You say nonsense? Can’t a scientist reason so primitively? Maybe. It all started with the founder of Gypsy studies, Grelman, who said: “Gypsies simply adopt the religion of the country in which they live. Where the Gypsies choose a place to stay, that’s where they take the religion. Not a single Gypsy knows anything about the basics of religion, it’s just as easy for him in every new place, change your faith, just like other people change their clothes."13
Following Grelman, the same postulate was repeated by his numerous followers, almost word for word. Since the middle of the 19th century, it has become good form to add, to complete the set, a parable about a nomad who was asked what his faith was. The answers vary depending on the country where the case takes place. A Ukrainian gypsy, for example, allegedly answered: “What kind of Toby, my dear, do you need?”14
You have already read the Russian version in the epigraphs as presented by Nadezhda Demeter (who expressed surprise in print that almost all Gypsies baptize their children).15
In Serbia, according to local ethnographer Tihomir Djordjevic, a gypsy peacefully told his interlocutor about his faith: “Whatever you want, sir.”16
So, Djordjevic agreed with other scientists on the issue of Roma indifference to religion. And then - I don’t know how the gypsy scholars do it! - provided in his book details that undermine the preconceived theory. And no wonder. The founding fathers wrote about nomadic people in general, but Djordjevic had to talk about his homeland. In short, the situation in Serbia looked like this. During 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 as well as Serbian names. Some 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 wavering. Beginning in 1830, ethnic Turks began to gradually leave Serbia, and after independence from the Ottoman Empire was declared in 1878, there was virtually no Turkish population left. At least two consequences logically followed from this. First, mosques and mullahs disappeared. Secondly, having lost external Islamic influence and finding themselves in a purely Orthodox environment, Muslim gypsies, according to all the tenets of gypsy studies, had to immediately change their faith “like a dress.”
Did this happen? Djordjevic (how to go against the truth?) admits that no. Instead of a mass conversion to Orthodoxy, an inexplicable incident occurred. In a number of regions, Muslim gypsies gradually lost Islamic rituals. Neither holidays, nor the birth of a child, nor funerals were no longer accompanied by appropriate ceremonies. And despite all this, people from the described communities continued to consider themselves Muslims, and when the lack of rituals was pointed out to them, they made the excuse that this was their “Pharaonic” faith.
In 1892, Bishop Melenty’s soul could not stand it, and he began to insist on converting the “atheists” to Orthodoxy. Gypsies began to be baptized en masse. Again, according to the myth about this people’s disregard for matters of faith, everything should have gone smoothly. But for some reason some of the gypsies refused, and some, even though they had been baptized, preferred to move further away - just so as not to be called by a new Christian name. In places where no one knew them, they hid the fact that they had undergone the rite of baptism.17 In a word, when an honest ethnographer speaks in Djordjevic, he recognizes precisely the tenacity of religious beliefs. In his essays, he devotes a lot of space to Muslim groups living in Serbia. They were known by different names: Koran Roma of Turkish origin and "Beli Gypsies" (who came from Bosnia). All these people, despite their Orthodox surroundings, held tightly to the faith of their fathers, celebrated Bayram and Ramadan (although, like throughout the Islamic world, their women did not cover their faces with veils).18
Let's honestly answer one question. 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, separated from relatives, friends and neighbors, and interrupted the business they had 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 there is a widespread postulate in literature that gypsies change their faith based on profit, you just need to look at what happened in reality. Imagine, a corresponding experiment was carried out in the Ottoman Empire. 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 achka. But those of them who convert to Islam will pay three points less.20 This was not an empty shock. An effective mechanism for collecting taxes was established (the so-called “gypsy sanjak”). To correctly evaluate the results, let’s try to reason with numbers in hand. For 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 like under Suleiman the Magnificent, the gypsies who worshiped Allah were charged less tax. A Christian gypsy paid six groschens, 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 were listed as Muslims.21 Less than a quarter! As we see, the tax press did not greatly influence the very people who are supposedly guided only by profit. In the Balkans, the myth of Roma indifference to religion was dealt a crushing blow. For centuries, tens of thousands of people remained faithful to Orthodoxy while under Muslim rule. 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 counterfeit deck.
As we know, Russian gypsies, back in the 19th century, certainly kept icons in the “red corner” of the tent, observed fasts, and so on.
- Of course, they were pretending... They wanted to please the Russians. - the writing brethren grin.
Is that so? History itself made sure that the gypsies could adequately object to common accusations. After the victory of the October Revolution, the party began to intensively instill a materialist worldview. Priests were imprisoned and shot, churches were blown up or potato storage facilities were set up there. Monasteries were adapted into concentration camps or prisons. The communists abused believers in every possible way, and the school curriculum was atheistic in nature. This cannot be said to be ineffective. All the peoples of the USSR experienced its influence to one degree or another. 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 trend. It would seem that now, when both the rulers and most of the population are unanimous in their godlessness, the gypsies realize their benefit.
- What faith are you, gypsy?
- Which one do you need?
No, no one has heard such words from these people. Despite the immediate danger, the nomads continued to hold icons in a place of honor, celebrated church holidays, got married, baptized children, and buried the deceased with funeral services. Sedentary gypsies, including communists and Komsomol members, behaved the same way... Yes, they did not advertise their faith. But they kept fasts, prayed, and when they were directly asked, they did not hide their Orthodoxy.
It cannot be said that the party lost sight of the Roma. Anti-religious brochures were issued in their native language, the essence of which boiled down to the phrase " religion cheese choking 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 faith, about their “conformism”, “desire for profit” are worth.
The cruel communist experiment had a side effect - one of the most persistent myths of gypsy studies was refuted. Moreover, not only Christian gypsies, but also Muslim gypsies showed their tenacity of conviction. Crimea and Mugat (aka “Lyuli”) did not allow the party to distort their spiritual world. It was not possible to impose atheism on them.
By the way, in recent years one can find evidence of the persistence of faith. Representatives of many ethnic groups migrate far from their traditional habitats. So the gypsies of Central Asia have often come to Russia for the last 10 years. I communicated with them a lot, but they never tried to pass themselves off as Orthodox. On the contrary, they sincerely spoke 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, cases of transition from Islam to Orthodoxy are still rare.
And vice versa. Many families servs ended up in Uzbekistan, and some plashunov in Azerbaijan. They remained Orthodox as they were. Although they lived in a Muslim environment for several decades. This is about 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 for this national minority are religious ones. Let's assume for a second that the gypsies, as journalists say, disguise themselves and pretend. 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 in public, inviting all the neighbors!
There is another proof of the strength of religious foundations. During a gypsy trial, a person who stands his ground is required to venerate himself on an icon. If he swore before God, then no matter how strong the evidence of his guilt, the words of justification must be believed. But not only financial issues, but also the entire future life of the gypsy, the reputation of the children, and so on depend on the decision of the Gypsy court.
Now we have reached the end of the discussion. As we see, everything is so clear that there is nothing to argue about. One can only be surprised at a theory that managed to develop for two hundred years in complete contradiction with the facts.
1. Kogalnichan. Essay on the history, customs and language of the Gypsies. Northern bee. St. Petersburg, 1838. No. 82. P.327.
2. Light in pictures. 1880. No. 8. P. 140.
3. Shile A. Gypsies. Nature and people. St. Petersburg, 1878. No. 11. P. 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. P.616, 617.
10. Weideck H.E. Dictionary of gypsy life and lore. NY., 1973. P. 104.
11. Gypsy-Russian and Russian-Gypsy dictionary (Kelderar 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. St. Petersburg, 1878. No. 11. P. 34-35.
15. Demeter N. Gypsies: myth and reality. M., 1995. P.74
16. Borђeviћ Tihomir R. Our people's life. Book 7. Beograd, 1933. P. 53.
17. Ibid. pp. 52-57.
18. Borђeviћ Tihomir R. Our people's life. Book 6. Beograd, 1932. pp. 90-97.
19. Marushiakova E.; Popov V. Tsiganite in Bulgaria. Sofia, 1993. pp. 76-7.
20. Ibid. pp. 79-80.
21. Sostyr eme achyam bidevlytka. M., 1934. P. 38.
Loading...
