Nikolay Bessonov. The myth of Gypsy religious conformism. Gypsy beliefs: a few words

30.09.2019

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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

Without understanding anything Christian faith, the gypsy usually willingly accepts 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 by and large The literature on the religious views of the Roma can be divided into two streams. 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 modern world this is not a crime. In India alone, eight hundred million people worship pagan gods - which does not prevent governments from entering into agreements with this state diplomatic treaties, A ordinary people love 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 terrible about it.
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, the 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 more big question, 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 part of the camps worshiped Indian deities. Of course, when the nomads appeared in Western Europe, not everyone believed their version of the pilgrimage to atone for sins. And ordinary people, nobles, and clergy gossiped that uninvited guests, this is 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 held. 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 “everything that is above” - the sky, heavens and celestial bodies. Faraun is a god who, they say, was once a great pharaoh in a long time ago lost land gypsies, "Little Egypt". Beng is the devil, the cause of all evil. Like Christians, gypsies imagined the devil as a monster with a reptile-like tail 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 not seriously. The moon is identified with the god Alako, the protector of the gypsies, who takes their souls after death. At first Alako was Dundra, the son of a god sent to earth to teach people the law: he ascended to the moon when he completed his mission and became a god. Fire is considered sacred, with the power to heal, protect, preserve health, and punish 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 of the “godlikeness” of the horse, and wrote something exactly the opposite:
"This horse sacrifice is also seen among the gypsies Russian Empire. In 1830, a Russian landowner told me that the gypsies in the vicinity of Moscow and on the Don organize horse sacrifices and eat part of their meat, performing the most ancient rite 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 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. Can hardly be called intolerant Tsarist Russia, 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 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 “adjust” 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. tomorrow Let’s pretend that we believe in another 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. From the middle of the 19th century it became in good form To complete the set, add 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! - He provided details in his book that undermined 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 Porte's power was wavering. Beginning in 1830, ethnic Turks began to gradually leave Serbia, and after independence was declared in 1878 Ottoman Empire, there was practically 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, parted with relatives, acquaintances 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 tax collection mechanism was established (the so-called “gypsy sanjak”). To correctly evaluate the results, let’s try to reason with numbers in hand. To do this we need a time jump in end of XVII century. The essence of Ottoman policy has not changed for a century and a half. Just as under Suleiman the Magnificent, the gypsies who worshiped Allah were charged 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 October revolution the party began to intensively inculcate 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 school program 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 keep icons in a place of honor, they noted church holidays, got married, baptized children, and buried the deceased with a funeral service. Sedentary gypsies, including communists and Komsomol members, behaved the same way... Yes, they did not advertise their faith. But fasts were observed, 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 its spiritual world. It was not possible to impose atheism on them.
By the way, in last years evidence of the persistence of faith can be found. 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 talked 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 conversion 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.

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 the Christian gypsies are quite mobile in relation to Christian denominations (Catholic Magyars do not see a big problem in switching to the camp of evangelists, because here and there there is a cross, 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 known cases when Russian gypsies in France, having fled there during Civil War with the nobles, they did not baptize their children for years, looking for orthodox churches- and having already found it, they baptized everyone en masse and at once, in large quantities. Some “newborns” at baptism were already fifteen or sixteen years old, they had a mustache or were growing breasts. Sometimes the day after baptism, the newly baptized would get married right away (if this is not a joke, of course). The Lovarian gypsies, who have been living in Russia for decades, are converting from Catholicism to Orthodoxy slowly and carefully and mainly in small numbers Catholic churches and from considerations 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 the gypsies different religions there is 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 installation was picked up while moving along the Bolshoi 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, be they 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 vortex-stealer) and the beliefs in brownies and mermaids, upon closer examination almost all of this turns out to be borrowed, and especially a lot - from 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;)

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 their place of residence. Although, of course, there are exceptions to every rule.

Where do gypsies who profess Orthodoxy live?

For example, among those who live in Russia, the predominant religion is Orthodoxy, like the bulk 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.

Where do Catholic and Protestant gypsies live?

The main religion of the Roma living in Poland and other European countries is Catholicism. The same situation is 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, some of these people could well have.

A legend that is common among gypsies

A beautiful legend is also widespread among these 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, forge them, they were needed to carry out 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 with the help of whips he 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 still protects them.

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

Like any people, there are atheists among the Roma too. This is especially typical nowadays. But in principle, these are the most religious people. They regularly attend church and perform all the rituals typical of the country in which they live. This is especially typical for the older generation.

What can be said as a conclusion?

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

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 day after baptism, the newly baptized would get married right away (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 for a hundred years after arriving from the Balkans, Islam was not forgotten, 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:

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.

Many people think that all gypsies are pagans and worship fire or the sun. But in fact, most of the gypsies profess the religion of the country where they live. This could be, for example, Christianity, Islam or Buddhism.

What do gypsies believe?

The Gypsy faith has its own characteristics. Thus, Orthodox gypsies consider St. Nicholas the Pleasant and St. George their patron, while Catholics consider Blessed Seferino and at the same time a certain Sarah Kali, who is a mythical character.

Candidate of Philological Sciences, religious scholar, senior Researcher Center for the Study of Problems of Religion and Society of the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences Roman Lunkin comments: “Gypsies accept the religion of the country where they are located and where they live enough for a long time. Currently, as far as I know, there are those who profess Islam and those who profess Christianity (these are the majority because many gypsies live in Russia, Romania, Hungary, Moldova. In general, gypsies live in Europe - Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox and Muslims."

What religious customs do Gypsies observe?

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

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

The Russian Vlach Gypsies have an interesting custom. On Radonitsa, women and children certainly visit cemeteries, where they ask for alms from visitors. And these are not necessarily beggars. In this way, they fulfill a certain Christian “duty” by helping other people do a good deed. By the way, Russians often know about this and on this day they willingly give the gypsies small change.

Muslim gypsies also pay attention religious customs, but not everyone. Thus, gypsy women in Islamic countries never cover their faces. Not everyone practices the ritual of circumcision of the foreskin.

Religious myths of the gypsies

By the way, there is such a legend among Christian gypsies. When Christ was crucified, gypsies passed by and stole one nail. For this, God allegedly allowed the gypsy people to sometimes steal. Therefore, gypsies do not see anything wrong with theft and fraud. Experts in gypsy culture consider this myth not so old and believe that it was born in the Balkans.

Another legend says that God especially loves the gypsies for their fun and talent, therefore he did not tie them to pieces of land, as he did with other peoples, but gave them the whole world. Therefore, they led a nomadic lifestyle. Indeed, gypsies can be found in all corners of the Earth, except perhaps Antarctica.

As you can see, the gypsies have their own interpretation of faith. “I can’t say that the Roma are very religious people,” says Roman Lunkin. - They rather have a more developed tribal system, which is the basis of their life and true religion. The rest is all the cultural features of the country where they live, into which they integrate.”