Couples marry young - girls at around 16 or 17, and boys between 18 and 19. They're not supposed to marry non-travellers but marriage to second cousins in families is common. Once married, the man rules the roost.
At the same time both qualitative and quantitative studies show a steady trend of gradual increase in the marriageable age and age at first child birth among Roma, and today most of the Romani females get married after reaching the lawful age of 18.
Their lifestyle is comparable to what it was five hundred years ago. The task of the Romani woman is to take care of the children, to maintain the household, and to hold together the extended family. As mother, she knows precisely the details of her children's lives, including all of the stupid things they do.
It's not uncommon for Romanichal gypsies to marry their first cousins. The wedding had begun with all traditions of a typical traveller wedding.
The Roma live by a complex set of rules that govern things such as cleanliness, purity, respect, honor and justice. These rules are referred to as what is "Rromano." Rromano means to behave with dignity and respect as a Roma person, according to Open Society. "Rromanipé" is what the Roma refer to as their worldview.
Couples marry young - girls at around 16 or 17, and boys between 18 and 19. They're not supposed to marry non-travellers but marriage to second cousins in families is common. Once married, the man rules the roost.
Young marrieds live with the parents of the husband. The bride is called bori, which means "one that my vitsa has acquired through marriage." The bori takes on most household tasks, giving up all outside activities for some time.
The Gypsy and Traveller community firmly believe that “marriage is for life” and divorce is rare. Older children may be particularly reluctant to leave permanently.
A Gypsy is a member of a race of people who travel from place to place, usually in caravans, rather than living in one place. Some Gypsies object to this name, and prefer to be called Romany.
Marriage in Romani society underscores the importance of family and demonstrates ties between different groups, often transnationally. Traditionally an arranged marriage is highly desirable. It is custom for the parents of the groom to pay the family of the daughter.
In the Gypsy culture, there is a ritual that determines if the bride still retains her virginity, the so-called “handkerchief test” is performed to check the purity of the bride on the same wedding day. Sometimes, it is also called “town hall.”
She's free-spirited.
She likes to do what feels right to her. The rules don't apply, forget whatever people say or whatever the 'law' says, she will always question the rules and she refuses to conform to the arbitrary rules. She follows her intuition and her heart and she won't be held down by anything or anyone.
One of the Oxford English Dictionary definitions of Gypsy is, 'term for a woman, as being cunning, deceitful, fickle, or the like … In more recent use merely playful, and applied esp. to a brunette.
The boy does the courting, and when the young couple agree to marry they become engaged and exchange modest gifts. Parents are consulted, but the decision is made by the young people. Many Roma tribes still maintain the institution of bride price.
Although monogamy is the rule, polygamy is not unknown, depending upon ability to bear the expense of additional marriages. The orthodox gypsies, however, are forbidden plural marriages by law. Among the gypsies of Rogatika, although they are Moslem, polygamy is rare on account of their poverty.
Yet the dedication to cleaning – born during nomadic days when keeping wagons clear from dust and dirt on the road was a tough undertaking for traveller women – remains important. As a result, cleaning is a process that takes priority over everything else – including school.
Gavver is another word to describe police officers, and it comes from the Romany Gypsy word 'garav' which means hide.
Gipsy Love (German title Zigeunerliebe) is an operetta in three acts by Franz Lehár with a libretto by Alfred Willner and Robert Bodanzky, provided with English translations and revisions by several hands.
Both Rom and Romany have been in use in English since the 19th century as an alternative for Gypsy.
As can be seen in all Gypsies of the world, Gypsies in Turkey usually marry their relatives at a young age since marrying a non-Gypsy means automatic extradition from the Gypsy community (Sutherland, 1990). Therefore, they believe that they can protect their communal life through endogamy.
Gypsies don't have a permanent home because their life is more on traveling, because of this, it is impossible for them to have a job at the office and make a lot of money. Most gypsies settle making money by looking for temporary jobs like gardeners, nail artists, and painters.
In addition to being told she had leukemia, muscular dystrophy and epilepsy, Gypsy Rose Blanchard never even knew her real age.
Rod and Gypsy have reconnected since she's been in prison.
"We email each other. She can call me anytime, and she does. I'm keeping tabs on all of her accomplishments in school.
All traveller boys take part in 'grabbing'…
Made popular by the television show 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding', it is where Traveller girls are 'grabbed' as part of a courtship ritual, which sees boys forcing a kiss. The majority of Travellers have never heard of this and courtship occurs through careful supervision.