Gypsy ministry: from heart to heart. What is the religion of the gypsies? Christian or other

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 the Civil War with the nobles, did not baptize their children for years, looking for Orthodox churches - and after finding out, they baptized everyone in a crowd and at once, 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). Gypsies-Lovaris, who have been living in Russia for decades, are moving from Catholicism to Orthodoxy slowly and carefully, and mainly because of a small number of Catholic churches and from the considerations that "here is Christianity and there is Christianity." Muslim gypsies in Latin America, a hundred years after their arrival from the Balkans, 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. The carriers of filth can be the organs of the pelvic region, women's legs and skirt, death, human entrails, some types of sick people (oddly enough, except for 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,

Gypsies are a mysterious nomadic people. Their life and history are shrouded in many myths and prejudices, and their culture is original and is rooted in the distant past. Historians, culturologists, ethnologists and ordinary people are concerned about 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 peculiarities of the settlement of gypsies 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 common political designation for all gypsies living in Europe.

Without a permanent habitat, the gypsies live in all corners of the planet, except for Antarctica.

Types of gypsies

The division of the Roma into ethnic groups occurs depending on the territorial location and occupation. Ethnologists distinguish three western and three eastern branches of the gypsies.

The Western ones are:

• Roma is one of the largest groups. It includes gypsies occupying the territory of Europe.
• Sinti are German and French gypsies.
• Iberians are Spaniards and Portuguese.

The eastern branch is formed by:

• Lyuli are Central Asian gypsies.
• Bosch - Gypsy peoples occupying the territories of Turkey and the Caucasus.
• Home - Arab peoples and living in Israel.

There are small gypsy groups that are difficult to attribute to any particular offshoot. On the territory of Europe live ethnic groups that are close 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, in accordance with the nature of their activities.

What religion do gypsies profess?

Gypsy culture is closely connected with the Gypsies, forms their traditions, customs and moral and ethical standards, and depends, as a rule, on the territory of residence. The main religions to which the gypsies belong are Christianity and Islam. But to this day, features of Hinduism, Shaivism, animism, Zoroastrianism and magical elements have been preserved in official beliefs.

The researchers argue that the adoption of a particular religion was a way of self-defense. Settling in a particular region, the gypsies tried to at least outwardly correspond to the followers of the local religion, so as not to conflict with the indigenous population.

Regardless of what faith the gypsies of a particular group belong to, their mentality and beliefs, which have developed over a long time of their existence, leave an imprint on following one or another moral norm.

Outward acceptance of the official religion gives the Gypsies the opportunity to pay tribute to their pagan and animistic idols. So, for example, the Central Asian gypsies had gods denoting the Sun. The faith of the gypsies in the west is based on the worship of the moon. The full moon was considered a holiday in which magical rituals and witchcraft rites were held. The faith of the gypsies in India is based on the worship of the phallus; the cult of Shiva and the goddess Kali is also widespread here.

Regardless of what faith the 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 only be pronounced at certain periods of his life. The rest of the time the worldly name is used.

Veneration of saints

The faith of the gypsies 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 faith the gypsies are, everyone honors the mythological image of St. Sarah. There are several legends associated with her. According to the first, she was the savior of the relatives of Mary Magdalene, during a terrible storm she saved them, 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 would hold the souls of the dead in this world, they burn all the belongings of the deceased and their homes. 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 in 500 years. Serbian gypsies claim that after death a person lives the same life, but indefinitely.

Spirits and vampires are denoted by the word "mullo". If a gypsy dies at the hands of a man, the mullo will find and hunt down the culprit. Slavic gypsies believe in werewolves. They are those who led a dissolute life or became a victim of a vampire.

Gypsy customs

The faith of the gypsies determines their customs. Russian Orthodox gypsies are devout and obligatory for them is the rite of baptism. In gypsy houses there is a "red corner", with icons. In Russia, gypsies celebrate Christmas and Easter, get married in a church for marriage. 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 ask for alms. This tradition is considered good, since those who serve at this moment are doing a good deed, fulfilling a Christian duty.

Saint George is one of the most revered gypsy saints. Holidays in his honor 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 circumcise.

Myths and legends of the gypsies

No matter what faith the gypsies belong to, there are common beliefs that determine their entire worldview. There is a story that a gypsy stole a nail that the 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. So, fruits, animals and birds are God's gift, given to people for free use. Today, theft is the main way for Roma to earn money.

Raymond Buckland in his book Gypsies. Secrets of Life and Tradition” tells about a real case when gypsy children baptized the same borrowed baby eight times in different churches, because at baptism the priest gave the child a coin. The lack of attachment to a certain 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. Roma Customs and Faith in Russia

According to official figures, 200,000 Roma live in Russia today. Their real number exceeds these figures by at least five times. This is due to the fact that at the time many indicated other nationalities.

"Russian Roma" have their own dialect - a mixture of Russian, Polish and German. The traditional occupations of Russian gypsies are horse breeding, playing music, dancing, fortune-telling and the circus. It was in Russia that the genre of gypsy romance was born.

Most Russian Gypsies are Christians. But what kind of faith the gypsies have in Russia is not important, the main general gypsy law for them. The smallest number of rules regulate relations with non-Roma: here it is necessary to adhere to the norms of behavior that are established in society. More important - the laws of communication with both Roma and non-Roma: the prohibition of murder, rape, physical injury.

Respect for the guest is a must. The largest number of rules speaks of behavior within the gypsy community. The main thing is that no one has the right to exalt himself over another. However, in every community there is an unspoken leader and intermediary responsible for communication with the outside world. Most often, this person is

Gypsy laws strictly regulate communication with each other, with elders, children and women, the procedure for holding holidays, the rules for choosing clothes and a list of “decent” activities. Worthy professions are those that are associated with creativity, needlework, pottery and carpentry.

A significant part of Russian gypsies today is associated with crime. Among them, as among other ethnic groups, there is theft, begging and drug trafficking. At the same time, there is another side of Romani society, which includes talented singers, musicians and actors. For example, in Russia there is a popular all over the world

Impact on culture

The unique color of gypsy art had a tremendous impact 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 music of Goran Bregovic - humanity owes all this heritage to the gypsies.

Finally

Gypsies are a complex and mysterious people. It is impossible to fully experience their culture without plunging into it personally. The main thing is not to form your ideas, only based on the image of dirty beggars on the streets. In fact, the gypsies are an original and extraordinary ethnic group with their own laws, customs, rich culture and valuable heritage.

Here is what the Soviet gypsy linguist and ethnographer Lexa Manush (Alexander Dmitrievich Belugin, 1942 - 1997) wrote in his article "The Cult of Shiva and the Gypsies", published in No. 6 of the journal "Soviet Ethnography" for 1979.

The question of the religion of the Gypsies is one of the problems of undoubted interest both for scientists (Gypsies and religious scholars) and for a wide range of non-specialists. When it comes to gypsies, most often, perhaps, one has to hear: “And what faith are they? What is their religion?

However, despite the long history of gypsy studies, very little has been achieved so far in this area, although the authors touch on this issue in almost every monograph on gypsies. True, as a rule, in the sections devoted to religion, it is only reported that the gypsies believe in a god, whom they call devel 'devel', and that his antipode is the devil, whom they call beng 'beng'. among the gypsies, the official religion of a particular country in which they live, i.e., dividing them by religion into Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants or Muslims. At the same time, the Balkan gypsies have a very interesting combination of Islam and Christianity. Many researchers also note, along with the formal religion of the Gypsies, remnants of magical, animistic and other beliefs and rituals. So, in particular, E. Khorvatova points out that inThe religious ideas of the Gypsies were initially dominated by animism and demonology. The desire to comprehend the hierarchy of Christian saints, headed by a triune god, led to a symbiosis of two systems of different development - polydemonism and monotheism. Some of the researchers discover in the religion of the gypsies and traces of the cult of ancestors taken from India, the very foundations of which, according to A.P. Barannikov, the gypsies, however, have long been forgotten.

Some researchers tend to generally deny that the gypsies have any religious feeling, directly proclaiming them to be obvious atheists, devoid of any religion, while others, on the contrary, note their rare commitment to the church, which surprises the priests themselves. Both of these diametrically opposed points of view among researchers of the religion of the Gypsies are pointed out in their book by G. Mode and Z. Wölffling.However, as E. Fitsovsky rightly wrote about this, speaking of the alleged "godlessness" of the gypsies, the gypsies confuse two different concepts. Not respecting the existing religious systems and not creating their own, the gypsies nevertheless believe in God, the devil and in the afterlife, as evidenced by at least their funeral and memorial rites. In addition, they learned some props of Christian church rituals (church building, "holy" water, crucifixion, faces of saints), which is used in connection with specifically gypsy rituals.

Lexa Manush also noted that then among the ancestors of the gypsies, who were the Aryanized indigenous population of northwestern India, ranked in the caste system of ancient India as the Shudra or Dasa varna, undoubtedly before their migration at the beginning of the second half of the 1st millennium to the west, there existed along with the Agamic cults and the cult of Shiva. The term dasa (dasa), which was one of the ethnonyms of non-Aryan tribes that the Aryans met upon their arrival in India, later acquired in Sanskrit the meanings of 'demon', 'evil spirit', 'savage', 'barbarian' and, finally, 'slave'. In the dialects of the Balkan and some Vlach gypsies, this word has been preserved in the meaning of the South Slavic peoples once conquered by the Turks - Serbs, Croats and Bulgarians. As a self-name, the gypsies adopted the Sanskrit name of a member of the caste of singers and musicians doma ~ domba, which later gave dom in the dialects of the Asian gypsies, lorn in the Armenian gypsies, and rom in the European gypsies, and in the dialects of the Balkan gypsies it is still preserved with the cerebral consonant - rom. It can be assumed that the adoption by the ancestors of the Gypsies of this term as a self-name was associated with their practice of serving Shiva, who is also known as Nataraja, i.e. the king of dance.

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

A beautiful legend is also widespread among this people. 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 at the moment. They do not have an official religion, which these people adhere to in all countries of residence.

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.1
Mikhail Kogalniceanu. 1837

Gypsies do not have a trace of religion, and if one Eastern writer claims that “there are seventy-two faiths and a half in the world,” meaning by “half” the faith of 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. He even...

One of the most frequently asked questions to me is what is the REAL faith of gypsies?

The adherence to the faith of the ancestors among the Gypsies is surprisingly stable, although I have seen statements many times in tyrnetik that the Gypsies always follow the religious customs of the area where ...

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 in accordance with 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. 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 the 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 instance,…

Here is what the Soviet gypsy linguist and ethnographer Lexa Manush (Alexander Dmitrievich Belugin, 1942 - 1997) wrote in his article "The Cult of Shiva and the Gypsies", published in No. 6 of the journal "Soviet Ethnography" for 1979.

The question of the religion of the Gypsies is one of the problems of undoubted interest both for scientists (Gypsies and religious scholars) and for a wide range of non-specialists. When it comes to gypsies, most often, perhaps, one has to hear: “And what faith are they? What is their religion?

However, despite the long history of gypsy studies, very little has been achieved so far in this area, although the authors touch on this issue in almost every monograph on gypsies. True, as a rule, in the sections devoted to religion, it is only reported that the gypsies believe in a god, whom they call devel 'devel', and that his antipode is the devil, whom they call beng 'beng'. among the gypsies of the official religion of one or ...

Religious scholar Roman Lunkin on how religion determines the fate of the world

Yakov Krotov: I want to start the program with a short video interview. If we are going to talk about how faith affects the planet Earth, all of humanity, culture, it is probably good to remember that faith, first of all, affects the believer, the person who professes this faith. And about this interview with the poetess Daria Serenko.

Daria Serenko: At some specific, very difficult moment for me, there were good people nearby who turned out to be churched, that is, there were some very simple things - I think they are common to many. And in the wake of this depressive state, religion had some therapeutic value for me (now I already appreciate it, but then I would be very offended if I were told this).

I am engaged in poetry, modern literature, and I had a very strong conflict with my confessor - art and religion. This shouldn't be a dichotomy, but...

The gypsy tribe is a mystery from the very beginning, historically. A people that does not have its own land will never settle firmly in world history. It's simple: we have never seen their buildings of 3-5 centuries ago, household items, have not read the reports of archaeological expeditions (one of the most reliable ways to supply various numbers and dates to history). They do not have their corner on this planet, they have not inherited anywhere.
G. Gass finds the beginning of the gypsies in the southern side of the Bosphorus, M. Niger - in the northern part of the kingdom of Tunisia; H. Gerbello assumed that the gypsies came from Zanzibar, E. Sylvius - from the mountains of the Caucasus; K. Ekkar claimed their relationship with the Circassians, Vagesil - with German Jews. K. Grisemann pointed to Egypt, PS Pallas - to the Danube and Ukraine. And they are Bulgarians, goddesses, Hungarians and many others. And this is not a stigma: today a Jew, tomorrow a Spaniard. No formalities.
Disagreements about the origin of the gypsies were stopped by Grelman and Pott. Taking linguistics as a basis for analysis. If you plant even a modern gypsy, ...

Gypsy beliefs: a couple of words. gipsylilya - 03/14/2012 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-configured to hear one of the following options: "Hinduism/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 persistent, although ...

Gypsy culture is very diverse and rich. This is due to the wide distribution of gypsies around the world, a rich, albeit short, history and the complexity of the ethnic composition of this non-territorial nation. Gypsy culture has a noticeable influence on the musical culture of the world.

Indian heritage

The ancestors of the gypsies lived in the north-west of India, they, according to the most popular hypothesis now, belonged to the “house” caste (scientists still have not come to a consensus about the place of this caste in the Indian pre-Muslim hierarchy) and spoke a language derived from Sanskrit and related to modern Hindi. The occupations of the caste were songs, dances, jewelry and blacksmithing.

In the modern culture of the gypsies, some heritage of Indian ancestors has been preserved: the grammar and vocabulary of the gypsy language remained related to Sanskrit, the crafts of the “house” caste are included in the list of traditional gypsy occupations, the initial splitting into ethnic groups occurred on the basis of the profession, just like in India ...

The Gypsies profess the dominant religion 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 the gypsies are Orthodox, in Spain they are Catholics, in Turkey they are Mohammedans, and so on. This does not prevent them everywhere from observing many religious rites and beliefs taken from their old homeland. This is evidenced by their most ethnographically interesting wedding, funeral, childbirth, naming and so on rituals. Their views on the afterlife and funeral rites belong to the most primitive.

Gypsy rituals

Here are some customs and rituals from the life of gypsies: Wedding. A week before marriage, the bride and groom go to a river or lake and place two lighted candles on the shore. If one of them goes out without burning out, this is considered a bad omen; then young people throw apples and eggs into the water (sacred objects of common Aryan mythology), for propitiation ...

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Gypsy Ivanov, for the sake of faith in God, went against the camp, but the camp followed him

When Elizbar's father was still Edik, the city of Kimry had a reputation as the heroin capital of Central Russia. The electric train from Moscow was popularly called the “green needle”: normal people did not get into the last carriage - only drug addicts rode in it. All junkies within a radius of three hundred kilometers gathered for cheap heroin here, at the Savelovo station, or rather, to Hollywood: this is how the gypsy village is called here. Local youth quickly mastered a simple business: you, Muscovite, stay on the platform, I will run to the camp instead of you, and I will give ten percent to myself. Very soon it became difficult to find a teenager with an adequate expression in the eyes in the city.

Hungarian gypsies live in Hollywood, they are called Lovari, - a local intelligence officer told me at that time. - They appeared here at the end of the sixties, after they were turned away from Ukraine. First, these lovari launched trade ...

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I am a gypsy, can I be a real Christian? How can I be strengthened in faith? Asks victor
Answered by Vasily Yunak, 01/20/2012

Victor writes:
…

Gypsy culture is very diverse and rich. This is due to the wide distribution of gypsies around the world, rich, albeit short, history and the complexity of the ethnic composition of this non-territorial nation. Gypsy culture has a noticeable influence on the musical culture of the world (especially Romanian, Hungarian, Balkan, Spanish folk music, as well as classical music of the 19th century, jazz, flamenco).

Gypsies in different countries are characterized by uneven development of areas of high culture. So, most of the gypsy artists are natives of Hungary, the musical culture is most developed among the gypsies of Russia, Hungary, Romania, Spain, the Balkan countries, gypsy literature is currently more developed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine and Russia, acting art - in Russia and Ukraine .

With all the diversity of gypsy culture among different ethnic groups, one can note a similar system of values ​​and perception of the world.

The ancestors of the gypsies lived in the northwest of India, they, according to the most popular ...