Monday, April 28, 2014

Romani Cosmos

Gypsies have a wide variety of beliefs that definitely distinguished them among other groups. They are notorious for having some crazy superstitions that are unique to their culture. I'm going to provide a list below, you be the judge.


  • Do not cry, thy tears will sear the heart of the dead (after the death of a loved one) 
  • Let the dead rest in peace, do not use their names or eat their favorite food. 
  • Tended to pitch their tent near a holly tree because they believed it would give them divine protection (holy tree) 
  • To see a mule shaking itself, is a sign of good luck 
  • A moth hovering around a candle flame, means a letter in the morning 
  • To see a white horse in the morning, means good luck all day 
  • If a coal or wood fire makes any kind of noise, it means a quarrel in the offing 
  • To spit on ones hand after seeing a wagtail, means that money is on its way 
  • If the right hand itches...money will be paid out 
  • If the left hand itches....money will be received 
  • A tickling nose is a sign of getting drunk 
  • An itching of the right eye means sadness 
  • An itching of the left eye is a sign of happiness to come 
  • At the new moon, spit on a little stone, then throw it in the air, if it comes down wet...there will be much sickness...if dry, good luck to come 
  • Frogs spawn thrown over the left shoulder for good luck 
  • If one of the bearers at a funeral stumbles there will be another death 
  • A baby keeps its luck in the grimy lines of its hands 
  • A baby born at full moon will be lucky 
  • A baby born at midnight before the sabbath, it will be under a curse 
  • To see a shooting star is a sign of death

Read more about Gypsy beliefs at:  

http://tribes.tribe.net/b9b544af-89e5-4aa7-8dec-c917f83c3bd7/thread/135ae14f-1f26-4dfa-a897-e4c3e9a3bc4a 


It doesn't end there though. Gypsies are notably spiritual, and have a lot of ideals that they abide by. Per example, they believe marrying young is good because it gives families a long time to expand. They believe a lot of things are "impurities," which in turn makes them stay away from such things. One example is cats, they are impure because they lick themselves and gypsies see this as some sort of weird, sexual thing. They believe in eating with their hands because evidentially food tastes better from the hands rather than silverware. They cook using cauldrons and use traditional styles because tradition is of high importance to them. If they see certain things in their dreams, they are destined to have bad luck. It's just so much different from standard value and belief systems that it's a little uncanny. They have "bride prices," which means that essentially the boy's parents make an offer to the girl's parents to buy their daughter into the family (conjoin families). They believe music enriches the soul, so all gypsies are raised to sing, dance, and perform. They are ascribed to a simple way of life, not much in terms of money but lots in terms of culture. In respect to the world, they understand that the world will not understand, and accept it. They refuse to abandon to ancient traditions, and are very accepting of others that they come in contact with. Some say gypsies can't be trusted, but they not a volatile group which is shocking due to all the violence faced upon them (the Holocaust). They view the world with their superstitions and just enjoy their culture whether anyone else does or not.




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