Indo-Aryan ethnic group From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Roma (also called the Romani people) are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group. The Roma were originally from India, but they migrated west around 500 AD and arrived in Europe around 1000 AD.[10] Today, most Roma live in Europe.[11]
 Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress | |
 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2–20 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Turkey | 2,750,000 |
 Romania | 1,850,000 |
 Bulgaria | 750,000[1] |
 Spain | 725,000[2] |
 Russia | 720,000 |
 Hungary | 700,000[3] |
 Slovakia | 500,000[4] |
 France | 400,000[5] |
 Greece | 265,000[6] |
 Czech Republic | 250,000[7] |
 Italy | 140,000[8] |
 Germany | 105,000[9] |
| Languages | |
| Romani, languages of native regions | |
| Religion | |
| mainly Christianity and Islam, minorities practice Buddhism, Judaism and Bahá'í Faith | |
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In English, they are often called Gypsies. Some (but not all) Roma think "Gypsy" is a slur. Another disrespectful slang word, "chingar," is rarely used today.
Genetic studies show that Romani people share ancestry with various groups from the Indian subcontinent. The studies prove this by finding similarities between DNA patterns in the different groups.[12][13]
Gene studies have found similarities between the DNA of Romani people and:
This suggests that the Roma share ancestry with all of these different groups.
Romani newborns from many different countries have a birthmark called the "Mongolian spot" that is common in Asia (and other areas outside of Europe).[18]
Many Romani men from the Zargari tribe in Qazvin Province, Iran are born with a rare condition called aposthia, where the foreskin is missing or very short.[19]
After the Ottoman Empire conquered the Balkans and the Byzantine Empire, Roma intermarried with Ottoman Turks. When they had children, DNA from the Roma and the Turks mixed together.[20] This is called gene flow.
Romani people now live in many countries throughout the world. Much of the DNA of people in these countries has flowed into the Roma through intermarriages.[21][22]
Historians believe that the remnants from the Indo-Greeks, the Atsinganos (Untouchables) left the Indian subcontinent as traders. During the European migration period in the 4th to 6th centuries, they traveled through the Byzantine Empire into Egypt, using the Silk Road. They lived in Egypt for centuries.[23]
The Copts named the Roma ⲣⲱⲙⲁ (man or human, also these people there) in Coptic.
Around the 12th or 13th centuries, after the Crusades, the Roma reached the Balkans. From there, Roma people spread across Western Europe.[24] They crossed Europe aboard large caravans, which contained all of their belongings.[25]
At first, European people thought the Roma were Christian pilgrims and accepted them. They were fascinated by how the Roma did not have permanent homes. Roma people often worked as musicians, horse trainers, circus artists, lion tamers, blacksmiths, town criers, hawkers,groundskeepers, dish washers, cleaners, lumberjacks, caretakers, locksmiths, and in other low-status jobs.
The Roma people have been viewed badly and persecuted in Europe for centuries.[26]
The Egyptians Act of 1530 forced Roma people to leave England. Around 10,000 of these people went to the Ottoman Empire and became Muslims. Their descendants still call themselves Egyptians.[27]
During the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany committed an ethnic cleansing and a genocide against the Roma people.[28][29][30] The Romani genocide has been called "the forgotten Holocaust."[29]
The Nazis thought the Roma were an 'inferior race' - not as good as other racial groups - and they wanted to kill all of the Roma people in Europe.[28]
To achieve this, they persecuted Roma people, executed them in large groups, deported them to concentration camps, used them for medical experiments, and killed them in death camps.[28][31][32] Only the Muslim Xoraxane Roma from Bosnia were not deported, because Muslim leaders protected them.[33]
At least 250,000 Roma people were victims of the Romani genocide.[28] Scholars have suggested that as many as 500,000,[28][34] 800,000[35] or even 1.5 million[36] Roma may have died.
Romani people still experience discrimination and antiziganism. In some countries, Roma are not accepted in workplaces and schools.[37] Their squatting communities also irritate locals.[38]
The Romani created an association in 1978 to defend their rights.[39]
The largest Roma populations today live in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. However, there are populations of Roma all over Europe, including:[40][41]
Roma culture differs from country to country, from group to group, and from religion to religion.
Roma cuisine[42] also differs from country to country.
Music has always been important in Roma culture. Musical instruments like guitars and violins are an important part of Roma traditions. The Roma influenced musical and dance styles in Europe, like belly dancing, flamenco, rumba, and jazz.[25]
Most Romani people enter into arranged marriages with other Roma at a very young age. It is rare for Romani people to marry gadje (people who are not Roma). Some groups ban cousin marriage.[43]
On 8 April 1971, the Roma nationality was legally recognized in Europe. Since then, 8 April is the International Day of the Roma.[37]
Roma people use the word didicoy to describe people who are of mixed Roma ancestry.[44] (Some families of mixed blood call themselves "kyes".) There is conflict between the didicoy and the Romanichal ("full-blooded Roma," whose ancestors are all Roma).[44]
Roma people have been stereotyped as criminals for centuries. Many Romanichal believe this reputation comes from didicoys and other nomadic groups that are referred to as "Gypsies".[44]
Often, Roma people in the United Kingdom who are not nomadic use the word didicoy as slang for all Roma people.
The "Romano Rai" an old Romani song about a mixed-blooded Roma.[45]
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages made the Romani language an official language in many European countries.[46]
In ancient times, Roma people followed Hinduism[47] and Buddhism.[48] Today, most follow Eastern Orthodox Christianity.[49] However, many are Muslim. The Dasikane (Christian Roma) practice baptism, while the Xoraxane (Muslim Roma) practice male circumcision.
Other Romani people around the world practice faiths including:
Other Roma practice Noahidism (a Jewish new religious movement based on Orthodox Judaism[58].and a set of moral laws called the Noahide Laws[59]). People who live according to the Noahide Laws are called children of Noah (B'nei Noach) Noahids.[60]
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