Roma Culture Misunderstood

Why am I writing a blog about an ethnic minority that has migrated across Europe for centuries, and faced enormous persecution and discrimination?  Because I am reading a book in which a Roma fortune teller predicts the year, and in one case the actual date, of several family members.  It's a fictious story, but the Roma people are real, and I thought I would research who they really are.

They are the largest ethnic minority in Europe, consisting of 12-15 million people.  70% of them live in Eastern Europe.  There are about 1 million Roma living in the U.S.  The word Roma simply means "people."  but many call them Gypsies, although that is considered a derogatory word by many.  Roma have a rich oral tradition, and much of what we know about them is through songs and oral history.  They speak many languages, but most speak Rromanes, a language with Sanskrit roots.  Religious, they seem to take on the religion of the region they are living in.  They have strong family bonds, and stick to themselves because of discrimination.  Centuries ago they were continuously on the move as a matter of survival.  In the 20th century, many would live in cars or RV's, and contstantly be on the move.  Today, at least in the U.S., most live in homes or apartments, but do not talk about their culture.

During WW11, Gypsies were rounded up, placed in concentration camps, experimented on, and killed.  220,000 Gypsies (Roma) died in the Holocaust.

They have been known as fortune tellers for centuries.  No one really believes that they have any more ability to foresee the future than you or I.  They have a reputation for being cunning and mysterious outsiders.  In 1554, English Parliament passed a law that made being a Gypsy punishable by death.  Sounds a little like Salem, centuries later.

Fortune telling has been around for centuries.  Everyone wants to know what the future holds.  Or do they?  I'm not so sure that knowing  the future would make life any better.  I'll take it as it comes.  Good or bad, I like surprises.