Forget about jeans and a love marriage: 10 rules of life for girls in a gypsy camp

Although we often encounter Gypsies in everyday life, we don't know much about them. These people still live according to the laws that developed many centuries ago, and their women, although they look quite liberated, have practically no rights in the camp.

It is unlikely to remain an old maid in the gypsy community — girls are married at 16-17 years old, while boys get married at 18-19. Divorce, of course, is impossible — the marriage should be one and for life. Those women who still decide to divorce, "desecrate" the community and cast a shadow not only on themselves, but also on their daughters. And there is no question of any new relationship.

A gypsy girl getting married must certainly be a virgin. Otherwise, the bride will be disgraced — she will be declared dirty, defiled the community. Having lost her virginity before the wedding, a gypsy risks being alone forever — a gypsy man will never go against the laws of the camp and will not marry a girl who has given herself to another.

As for marriage with representatives of other nationalities, this is not welcome among Gypsies. Aliens are called Gorger, and girls in extremely rare cases agree to such a marriage. The fact is that Gypsies value their own culture very much and try to preserve it in every possible way. For this purpose, marriages are concluded even between cousins.

Of course, in many cultures, girls must strictly follow the will of their parents, but in Gypsy families they have a particularly high authority. The daughter does whatever she is told. And she marries the one who will be shown. 

It happens, of course, that a girl participates in the choice of a future husband, but marriages by agreement of parents are very common. After a gypsy gets married, she must obey her husband in the same way as she obeyed her parents.

By the way, an unmarried gypsy cannot leave the house unaccompanied — there must be parents, brothers, sisters or other relatives nearby. But the guys have much more freedom — they leave the house on their own and choose a bride themselves.

In the community, gypsies are quieter than water, lower than grass, but their outfits in public directly shout the opposite. In general, it is the bright clothes that help them attract future husbands, because a gypsy has no right to approach and speak first. 

American Gypsies are especially passionate about sequins and rhinestones — they dress up every day as if for a holiday. And if a wedding or birthday is planned in the community, then you can go blind from the radiance of their outfits.

Although we live in the XXI century, the concept of so-called filth is still widespread among the Gypsies. This means that the lower part of the body of a married mature woman is "unclean". Touching her skirt or even her shoes is like getting yourself dirty. This does not apply to girls and unmarried girls.

Because of the "filth", women are forbidden to go up to the second floor, they can only live on the first floor. If the first floor of a gypsy house is uninhabited and the whole family lives on the second floor, then other Gypsies say that the family "got dirty".

For the same reason, feasts for men and women are held separately. Separately, guests also come to the house: men - to a man, women - to a woman.

There is an incredibly high percentage of domestic violence in Roma communities. There was even a study conducted in the UK, according to which 61% of married Gypsy women living there admitted that they regularly fall under the hot hand of their husband. And women have to put up with it.

A participant in one of the British shows, gypsy Melli, said that one day her husband locked her in a trailer, and when the woman got out, beat her. The family persuaded her to take her husband back, and she obeyed, explaining that such behavior is part of Gypsy traditions, and they need to be honored.

Girls and unmarried girls can wear pants or jeans, but married ladies are supposed to walk only in long skirts. 

In modern society, gypsy girls get so used to wearing jeans that after the wedding they wear skirts right over them.

Gypsies are obliged to be housewives and have no right to be lazy about cooking and cleaning. In European culture, Gypsies are considered dirty, but their houses are clean.

A woman should wash everything regularly, and she should not share her dishes and cutlery with anyone, even with her husband. All dishes are washed several times: under running water, in a separate bowl with boiling water and again under running water. 

Women's and men's clothes also need to be washed separately. And you also need to wash clothes above and below the waist separately - because of the "dirt" on the latter. Well, underwear — it is also washed separately.

Pregnancy is a wonderful time for a Gypsy woman. She is relieved of household duties, and her husband is engaged in cooking and cleaning.

And pregnant women are prohibited from any physical contact. They cannot sleep in the same bed with their husband and wash only with consecrated water. However, many American gypsies do not follow these rules, they have achieved a certain independence.

If the Gypsies have a misunderstanding, then the showdown is noisy and bright — with fights and curses of the family up to the seventh generation. But that's their own business. Going to the police is like going against tradition.

It may come to the point that the family will disown a relative who has applied to the law enforcement agencies. Men understand this perfectly well, but some modern girls still try to resolve conflicts in a civilized way.

In films, we are often shown dashing gypsies with an earring in their ear, but in fact, earrings in the community can only be worn by women. Gypsies generally like jewelry, and the bigger and brighter they are, the better. 

As you know, living among Gypsies is not easy at all. And also, if only girls are born in a family, gypsies do not curse fate, but go to a shelter and adopt boys — they believe that it is not so much blood that is important, as education. 

That is why you can often meet blonde or red-haired children in the camp - hence the rumors that gypsies steal children.