Gypsy Traditions Today

Gypsy Traditions Today

Old Gypsy Traditions are dying

It’s an unfortunate fact that very few gypsies meet the romantic idea most people have of the Gypsy life. Gone are the days when we lived and travelled in our colourful, horse-drawn caravans, spent lazy Summer days in  leafy English country lanes or cook over open fires and tell tales of magic and mystery, listening to one of the tribe playing the fiddle into the midnight hour. Instead, the few who still travel usually have expensive shiny trailers complete with satellite dishes and mobile internet connections.

Despite this, there are still a sprinkling of us who carry on the old traditions, which include fortune telling, creating good luck charms and relating old gypsy myths and legends to those interested enough to listen. I’m very fortunate because I live with my wife in Granada, Spain amongst the Spanish Gypsies (Gitano) and although they don’t travel or live in caravans they certainly keep up many of the old traditions I was brought up with such as: Horse Trading, Metal working, Fortune Telling, Gypsy music (Flamenco) not to mention the singing and dancing round the open fire most nights into the small hours.

Very few people know that we Gypsies have a sophisticated set of beliefs and customs, many of which are rooted in magic and the occult of the past. Because we have always lived close to nature, the gypsy vision of the world is closer to that of shamanism than it is to the rationalistic outlook of modern Western culture.

Gypsy Origins

As a distinct ethnic group the gypsies – or, to give them their other name Romanies – originated in the northern part of India around Rajasthan. During the mid-ninth century a large group of nomadic people left their homeland in the north of India and migrated westward. What prompted this initial move is not known but it’s more than likely nothing more than the need to survive, just as we see folk today emigrating to find work. But it was the start of a wave of these dark-skinned nomads that grew in number and spread across Asia and Europe. By 1417 there were records of gypsies in Germany and by 1430 they had reached England.

Because of their occult ( Occult simply means Hidden) knowledge and divinatory skills, many started to associate them with local witches and soothsayers, claiming they worked magic and because this sort of thing was thought to be associated with the devil this led to gypsies being persecuted and  the first to take action against them was King Ferdinand of Spain. In 1492, he banished gypsies from his country. Any who would not leave were killed. Persecution of the Gypsies continued right up to the Second World War when almost half-a-million gypsies were gassed, shot or hanged in the Nazi concentration camps.

Even today, in Europe and other countries around the world gypsies continue to be hounded and their nomadic lifestyle is looked upon as somehow antagonistic to conventional modes of living.

Amulets & Talismans

Not everyone is anti gypsy; many consider them mysterious and are intrigued by their wealth of occult knowledge, which is very much evident in their everyday life. Many gypsies, for example, carry amulets and talismans as good luck charms.

In gypsy lore an amulet is an item from nature that is either naturally, or artificially (through ritual), charged with magical power. A typical amulet would be a stone with a hole through it or a rabbit’s foot.

Talismans, on the other hand, are man made objects charged with magical power by the gypsy charm-maker. A typical talisman would be a piece of parchment or wood, which has been inscribed with specific symbols, or words of power.

Amulets and talismans are usually carried on the gypsy’s person in a cloth or leather pouch, known as a “putsi” see photo above. You might see a gypsy woman wearing a putsi hanging from a cord around her neck. To the non-gypsy this looks like nothing more than an accessory to her colourful dress, but in reality it would likely contain amulets and talismans, and other magical items.

Fortune Telling

Gypsies are most renowned for their fortune telling abilities. Indeed, whenever we see a Gypsy portrayed in a picture or cartoon the image is usually of the gypsy fortune teller staring into a crystal ball. Many gypsies do “skry” or crystal gaze, but they also have other ways of divining the future, including reading Tarot cards, playing cards, and palmistry too.

Interestingly, gypsies rarely give reading  for each other; only for  non-gypsies. This is because the gypsy, generally, has no interest in the future. The gypsy philosophy is to live for the day; therefore there is little demand for fortune telling amongst the gypsies themselves.

Caravans

The gypsies were, and largely still are, nomads who travel the highways in caravans, their home on wheels. In years gone by, the gypsy caravan – or vardo – was decorated with brightly coloured carvings, often highlighted in gold leaf. Many of these carvings served as good luck charms and most had some level of mystical meaning.

The vardo itself was a one-room house, which was light enough to be pulled along by one horse. It had a stove for cooking and warmth, plus beds and storage cupboards. Up until World War 2 it was common to see lines of vardos moving slowly along the country lanes and even on the major roads of England, Wales and Scotland.

Horse Brasses

Although the non-gypsy would not recognise it as such, the horse brass is a form of gypsy talisman. A horse brass is a symbol, or set of symbols, made out of brass and hung from the horse’s harness. Sometimes a number of these brasses are hung together, mounted on a strip of leather known as a martingale.

Dozens of symbols are used. Some of the oldest and most popular are the sun, the moon, stars, a heart, a cross and the triskele or three-legged sun wheel. Other designs include bells, horses, and acorns – and just about anything that had meaning to the maker.

The brasses were originally worn to protect the horses from disease and the evil eye. They were also worn to give strength and endurance, and to promote fertility. Many of the designs with a heart at the base were actually intended to “give heart” to the animal, to give it strength. Some gypsies still wear these brasses themselves to promote love. It’s not uncommon to see a horse brass hanging from a gypsy’s belt.

A Dying Culture?

In the end, when it comes to gypsies, one fact remains. As an ethnic people, the gypsies are disappearing. Shortly after World War 2, authorities in Britain forced the travellers to place their children in schools, and to keep them there for at least one year. This forced many gypsies to take up permanent residence somewhere.

Those gypsies today who attempt to travel are often harassed by local officials or police, who enforce laws seemingly designed to single out the travellers.

Category: Articles, Blog