Roma
Flag of the Roma people
Khamoro Roma Festival Prague 2007
Total population
15 million or more Image File history File links Roma_flag. ... Roma flag The Roma flag (O styago le romengo in Romani) refers to the flag of the Roma people. ...
Regions with significant populations
India 5,794,000 [1][2]  Turkey Disputed: 3,000,000-5,000,000 [3][4]  Romania Disputed: 535,250 (official census) Other estimations: 700,000–2,500,000 [5][6][7] [8][9][10]  Spain 600,000 to 800,000 or 1,500,000 [11][12]  France 500,000 (official estimation) to 1,200,000-1,300,000 [13][14]  United States 1,000,000 (Roma organizations' estimations) [15] [16] [17] [18] [19][20]  Brazil 678,000–1,000,000 [21]  Hungary Disputed: 205,720 (official census); Other estimations: 500,000-600,000  Bulgaria Disputed: 370,908 (official census) to 700,000–800,000 [22]  Slovakia Disputed: 92,500 or 550,000 [23][24]  Serbia Disputed: 108,193 (official census) 500,000 estimated (540,000 incl. Kosovo) [7]  Russia Disputed: 183,000 to 400,000 [25][26][27]  Greece Disputed: 200,000 or 300,000–350,000 [28] [29] Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Turkey. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Romania. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hungary. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bulgaria. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Slovakia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Serbia. ... Anthem:  Serbia() on the European continent()  —  [] Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian Recognised regional languages Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian, Rusyn 1 Albanian 2 Demonym Serbian Government Parliamentary Democracy  -  President Boris Tadić  -  Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica    -  First state 7th century   -  Serbian Kingdom3 1217   -  Serbian Empire 1345   -  Independence lost... For other uses, see Kosovo (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Greece. ...  Ukraine 48,000 (census 2002); 400,000 (estimated by Roma organizations) [30]  Argentina 300,000 [31] [32]  Czech Republic Disputed: 11,746 or 220,000 to 300,000 [33] [34] [35] Image File history File links Flag_of_Ukraine. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Argentina. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic. ...  Rep. Macedonia Disputed: 53,879 to 260,000 [36][7]  Germany 110,000–130,000 [37]  Albania Disputed: 1,300 to 120,000 [38]  Iran 110,000 [39]  Italy 90,000–110,000 [37]  Canada 80,000 [40]  Colombia 79,000 [41]  Portugal 40,000 [42]  Poland 15,000 to 50,000 [43] . more countries .
Languages
Romany, languages of native region
Religion
Romanipen, combined with assimilations from local religions
Related ethnic groups
South Asians (Desi)

The Romani people^[44][45] (singular Rom, plural Roma as a noun; also known as Romanies, Rromani people) are an ethnic group with origins in India.^[46][47]. This widely dispersed ethnic group lives across the world not only near Southern and Eastern Europe,^[48] but also in the Americas and the Middle East. They are often referred to as Gypsies or Gipsies. Image File history File links Flag_of_Macedonia. ... For an explanation of terms related to Macedonia, see Macedonia (terminology). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Albania. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iran. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Colombia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Portugal. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Poland. ... Romany (or Romani) is the language of the Roma and Sinti, peoples often referred to in English as Gypsies. The Indo-Aryan Romany language should not be confused with either Romanian (spoken by Romanians), or Romansh (spoken in parts of southeastern Switzerland), both of which are Romance languages. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ... This article is about the South Asian people. ... The Indo-Aryan languages form a subgroup of the Indo-Iranian languages, thus belonging to the Indo-European family of languages. ... In linguistics, a noun or noun substantive is a lexical category which is defined in terms of how its members combine with other grammatical kinds of expressions. ... The southern half of Europe is shown in shades of red. ... Eastern Europe is a concept that lacks one precise definition. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas in an equal-area projection The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Look up Gypsy, gypsy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Population

Roma people in Europe

Worldwide there is an estimated population of at least 15 million Romanies^[49]. The official number of Romani people is disputed in many countries.^[50] Because many Romanies often refuse to register their ethnic identity in official censuses for fear of discrimination^[51], unofficial estimates are undertaken in efforts to reveal their true numbers. The largest population of Romanies is found in the Balkan peninsula; significant numbers also live in the Americas, the former Soviet Union, Western Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe southeastern Europe (see the Definitions and boundaries section below). ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas in an equal-area projection The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... A current understanding of Western Europe. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ...

The Romanies recognize divisions among themselves based in part on territorial, cultural and dialectal differences. The main branches are^[52][53]: For dialects of programming languages, see Programming language dialect. ...

1. Rom/Dom/Lom crystallized in Eastern Europe and Central Italy, emigrated also (mostly from the 19th century onwards), in the rest of Europe, but also on the other continents;
2. Iberian Kale in Iberian Peninsula, emigrated also in Southern France and Latin America;
3. Finnish Kale, in Finland, emigrated also in Sweden;
4. Welsh Kale in Wales;
5. Romnichal, in British Isles, emigrated also in the Anglosphere;
6. Sinti, in German-speaking areas of Central Europe;
7. Manush, in France.

Among Roma there are further internal differentiations, like Bashaldé; Churari; Luri; Ungaritza; Lovari (Lovara) from Hungary; Machvaya (Machavaya, Machwaya, or Macwaia) from Serbia; Romungro (Modyar or Modgar) from Hungary and neighbouring carpathian countries; Erlides (also Yerlii or Arli); Xoraxai (Horahane) from Greece/Turkey; Boyash (Lingurari, Ludar, Ludari, Rudari, or Zlătari) from Romanian/Moldovan miners; Ursari from Romanian/Moldovan bear-trainers; Argintari from silversmiths; Aurari from goldsmiths; Florari from florists;, and Lăutari from singers. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Caló (originally Zincaló) or Spanish Romani is a jargon spoken by the Gitanos or Zincarli originating from Spain: Caló blends native Romani vocabulary with Spanish grammar,[1] as Spanish Gypsies lost the full use of their ancestral language. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... Romnichal or Romanichal is the name by which groups of Romani people (often known as Gypsies) found in some parts of the United Kingdom, notably England, are called in their own language, Anglo-Romany. ... This article explains the archipelago in north-western Europe. ... Definitions of the Anglosphere vary: Countries in which English is the first language of a large fraction of the population are shown in blue. ... Sinti or Sinte (Singular masc. ... Sinte or Sinti (Singular masc. ... Luri is a dialect of Persian language. ... Lovari Recording artist and actor. ... The Machvaya (also Machavaya) are a group of Romany originating specifically from Serbia. ... The Machvaya (also Machavaya) are a group of Romany originating specifically from Serbia. ... Anthem:  Serbia() on the European continent()  —  [] Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian Recognised regional languages Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian, Rusyn 1 Albanian 2 Demonym Serbian Government Parliamentary Democracy  -  President Boris Tadić  -  Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica    -  First state 7th century   -  Serbian Kingdom3 1217   -  Serbian Empire 1345   -  Independence lost... The Carpathian Romany language is an Indo-European language, spoken in the Czech Republic (220 000 speakers), Hungary (3 000), Poland, Romania, Slovakia (220 000) and Ukraine. ... Satellite image of the Carpathians. ... Boyash (also known as Bayash; Hungarian: Beás) are a Roma (Gypsy) ethnic group living mainly in Hungary. ... The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam. ... The Ursari (from the Romanian Urs, meaning bear) are bear trainers, of the Manush nation of Gypsy. ... Animal training is a method to teach animals to perform specific acts in response to conditions or stimuli. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A goldsmith creating a new ring A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with precious metals, usually to make jewelry. ... Floristry is most often understood as referring to the cultivation of flowers as well as their arrangement, rather than to the business of selling them. ... Lăutari are traditional musicians performing traditional Gypsy songs. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ...

Origins

The absence of a written history has meant that the origin and early history of the Roma people was long an enigma. As early as 200 years ago, cultural scholars hypothesised an Indian origin of the Roma based on linguistic evidence^[54]. Genetic information confirms this.

Although the Nazis claimed that the Gypsies were not Aryan, some members of the Gypsy Lore Society (established in 1888 in England) claimed that the Gypsies were the most ancient Aryans and "sought to protect them from mixing with non-Gypsy elements and from modernization...".^[55] The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ... Aryan (/eərjən/ or /ɑːrjən/, Sanskrit: ) is a Sanskrit and Avestan word meaning noble/spiritual one. ...

Linguistic evidence

Until the mid to late eighteenth century, theories of the origin of the Roma were mostly speculative. Then in 1782, Johann Christian Christoph Rüdiger published his research that pointed out the relationship between the Romani language and Hindustani^[56]. Subsequent work supported the hypothesis that Romani shared a common origin with the Indo-Aryan languages of Northern India,^[57] with Romani grouping most closely with Sinhalese in a recent study^[58]. This article is about the language spoken by Roma people. ... The word Hindustani is an adjective used to denote a connection to India, or, more precisely, the historical region that encompasses Northern India, Pakistan, and nearby areas. ... Sinhalese or Sinhala (සිංහල, ISO 15919: , pronounced ], earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese, the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. ...

The majority of historians accepted this as evidence of an Indian origin for the Roma, but some maintained that the Roma acquired the language through contact with Indian merchants^[59].

Genetic evidence

Further evidence for the Indian origin of the Roma came in the late 1990s when it was discovered that Roma populations carried large frequencies of particular Y chromosomes (inherited paternally) and mitochondrial DNA (inherited maternally) that otherwise exist only in populations from South Asia. The human Y chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes, it contains the genes that cause testis development, thus determining maleness. ... Mitochondrial DNA (some captions in German) Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ...

47.3% of Roma men carry Y chromosomes of haplogroup H-M82 which is otherwise rare outside of the Indian subcontinent^[60]. Mitochondrial haplogroup M, most common in Indian subjects and rare outside Southern Asia, accounts for nearly 30% of Roma people^[60]. A more detailed study of Polish Roma shows this to be of the M5 lineage, which is specific to India^[61]. Moreover, a form of the inherited disorder congenital myasthenia is found in Romani subjects. This form of the disorder, caused by the 1267delG mutation, is otherwise only known in subjects of Indian ancestry. This is considered to be the best evidence of the Indian ancestry of the Romanies.^[62] In human genetics, Haplogroup H (M52) is a Y-chromosome haplogroup. ... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... In human genetics, Haplogroup M is a human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup. ... Myasthenia gravis (sometimes abbreviated MG; from the Greek myastheneia, lit. ...

The Roma have been described as a conglomerate of genetically isolated founder populations^[63], while a number of common Mendelian disorders among Romanies from all over Europe indicates a common origin and founder effect.^[63] See also this table: ^[64]

A study from 2001 by Gresham et al. suggests a limited number of related founders, compatible with a small group of migrants splitting from a distinct caste or tribal group.^[65] Also the study pointed out that genetic drift and different levels and sources of admixture, appear to have played a role in the subsequent differentiation of populations.^[65] More interesting, the same study found that a single lineage ... found across Romani populations, accounts for almost one-third of Romani males. A similar preservation of a highly resolved male lineage has been reported elsewhere only for Jewish priests.^[65] See also the Cohen Modal Haplotype. Y-chromosomal Aaron is the name given to the hypothesised most recent common ancestor of many of the patrilineal Jewish priestly caste known as Kohanim (singular Kohen, Cohen, or Kohane). ...

A 2004 study by Morar et all concluded that the Roma are a founder population of common origins that has subsequently split into multiple socially divergent and geographically dispersed Gypsy groups.^[62]The same study revealed that this population was founded approximately 32-40 generations ago, with secondary and tertiary founder events occurring approximately 16-25 generations ago.^[62]

History

Main article: History of the Romani people

The migration of the Roma through the Middle East and Northern Africa to Europe

First arrival of the Roma outside Berne in the 15^th century, described by the chronicler as getoufte heiden ("baptized heathens") and drawn with dark skin and wearing Saracen-style clothing and weapons (Spiezer Schilling, p. 749).

Linguistic and genetic evidence indicates the Roma originated from the Indian subcontinent.^[66] The cause of the Roma diaspora is unknown. However, the most probable conclusion is that the Roma were part of the military in Northern India. When there were repeated raids by Mahmud of Ghazni and these soldiers were defeated, they were moved west with their families into the Byzantine Empire. This occurred between 1000 and 1050 CE. This departure date is assumed because, linguistically speaking, the Romany language is a New Indo-Aryan language (NIA)--it has only two genders (masculine and feminine). Until around the year 1000, the Indo-Aryan languages, named Middle Indo-Aryan (MIA), had three genders (masculine, feminine and neuter). By the turn of the 2nd millennium they changed into the NIA phase, losing the neuter gender. Most of the neuter nouns became masculine while a few feminine, like the neuter अग्नि (agni) in the Prakrit became the feminine आग (āg) in Hindi and jag in Romany. The parallels in grammatical gender evolution between Romany and other NIA languages is proposed to prove that the change occurred in the Indian subcontinent. It is therefore not considered possible that the Romas' ancestors left India prior to 1000 CE. They then stayed in the Byzantine Empire for several hundred years. However, the Muslim expansion, mainly made by the Seljuk Turks, into the Byzantine Empire recommenced the movement of the Roma people.^[67] The Romani people, also referred to as the Roma or Gypsies, are an ethnic group who live primarily in Europe. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | North Africa ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (555x674, 84 KB) Spiezer Schilling p. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (555x674, 84 KB) Spiezer Schilling p. ... For other uses, see Berne (disambiguation). ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... Saracens was a term used in the Middle Ages for those who professed the religion of Islam. ... Spiezer Schilling (or Amtliche Chronik) is a chronicle of Diebold Schilling the Elder of Berne (1480s). ... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... For other uses, see Diaspora (disambiguation). ... Dark green region marks the approximate extent of northern India while the regions marked as light green lies within the sphere of north Indian influence. ... Mahmud and Ayaz The Sultan is to the right, shaking the hand of the sheykh, with Ayaz standing behind him. ... Byzantine redirects here. ... In linguistics, grammatical gender is a morphological category associated with the expression of gender through inflection or agreement. ... Middle Indo-Aryan refers to a stage (c. ... This article is about dynasty which ruled the political entity known as Great Seljuq Empire. ...

The Banjara people, numbering around 2,274,000 in India,^[68] are Gypsies^[69] who claim that they, too, are descended from the Rajputs, and that many of their ancestors left India through the Himalayas and never returned. For this reason, the Banjara are considered related to the Romani people.^[70] Many historians believe^{[citations needed]} that the Muslim conquerors of northern India took the Roma as slaves and marched them home over the unforgiving terrain of Central Asia, taking great tolls on the population and thereby giving rise to such designations as the Hindu Kush mountains of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mahmud of Ghazni reportedly took 500,000 prisoners during a Turkish/Persian invasion of Sindh and Punjab. Banjaras are tribes in the Telangana region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, known locally as Lambada. Category: ... A Rajput (possibly from Sanskrit rāja-putra, son of a king) is a member of a prominent caste who live throughout northern and central India, primarily in the northwestern state of Rajasthan. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Hindu Kush or Hindukush (هندوکش in Persian) is a mountain range in Afghanistan as well as in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. ... Persia redirects here. ... Sindh (SindhÄ«: سنڌ, UrdÅ«: سندھ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhis. ... This article is about the geographical region. ...

Others suggest the Roma were originally low-caste Hindus recruited into an army of mercenaries, granted warrior caste status, and sent westward to resist Islamic military expansion. In either case, upon arrival, they became a distinct community. Why the Roma did not return to India, choosing instead to travel west into Europe, is an enigma, but may relate to military service under the Muslims. Castes are hereditary systems of social occupation, endogamy, social culture, economic class, and political power. ... This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ... Mercenary (disambiguation). ... A Kshatriya is a member of the military or reigning order, according to the law-code of Manu the second ranking caste of the Indian varna system of four castes, the first being the Brahmin or priestly caste, the third the Vaishya or mercantile caste and the lowest the Shudra. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( ▶ (help· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ...

Contemporary scholars have suggested that one of the first written references to the Roma, under the term "Atsinganoi", (Greek), dates from the Byzantine era during a time of famine in the 9^th century. In 800 CE, Saint Athanasia gave food to "foreigners called the Atsinganoi" near Thrace. Later, in 803 CE, Theophanes the Confessor wrote that Emperor Nikephoros I had the help of the "Atsinganoi" to put down a riot with their "knowledge of magic". <nowiki>Insert non-formatted text hereBold text</nowiki>A famine is a social and economic crisis that is commonly accompanied by widespread malnutrition, starvation, epidemic and increased mortality. ... Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak  Thrace (Bulgarian: , Greek: , Attic Greek: ThrāíkÄ“ or ThrēíkÄ“, Latin: , Turkish: ) is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. ... Saint Theophanes the Confessor (about 758/760, Constantinople - March 17, 817 or 818, Samothrace) was an aristocratic but ascetic Byzantine monk and chronicler. ... Nicephorus I and his son and successor, Stauracius. ...

"Atsingani" was used to refer to itinerant fortune tellers, ventriloquists and wizards who visited the Emperor Constantine IX in the year 1054.^[71] The hagiographical text, The Life of St. George the Anchorite, mentions that the "Atsingani" were called on by Constantine to help rid his forests of the wild animals which were killing his livestock. They are later described as sorcerers and evildoers and accused of trying to poison the Emperor's favorite hound. For the Batman villain, see Ventriloquist (comics). ... Mosaic of Constantine IX and Empress Zoe Constantine IX Monomachus (c. ... Hagiography is the study of saints. ...

In 1322 CE a Franciscan monk named Simon Simeonis described people resembling these "atsinganoi" living in Crete and in 1350 CE Ludolphus of Sudheim mentioned a similar people with a unique language whom he called Mandapolos, a word which some theorize was possibly derived from the Greek word mantes (meaning prophet or fortune teller).^[72] The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ... For other uses, see Monk (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ... For other senses of this word, see Prophet (disambiguation). ... Categories: Stub ...

Around 1360, an independent Romani fiefdom (called the Feudum Acinganorum) was established in Corfu and became "a settled community and an important and established part of the economy."^[73] Fief depiction in a book of hours Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord, generally to a vassal, in return for a form of allegiance, originally to give him the means... This article is about the Greek island Kerkyra known in English as Corfu or Corcyra. ...

By the 14th century, the Roma had reached the Balkans; by 1424 CE, Germany; and by the 16th century, Scotland and Sweden. Some Roma migrated from Persia through North Africa, reaching the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century. The two currents met in France. Roma began immigrating to the United States in colonial times, with small groups in Virginia and French Louisiana. Larger-scale immigration began in the 1860s, with groups of Romnichal from Britain. The largest number immigrated in the early 1900s, mainly from the Vlax group of Kalderash. Many Roma also settled in South America. Balkan redirects here. ... This article is about the country. ... Migration occurs when living things move from one biome to another. ... The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Flag In 1803, the United States concluded the Louisiana Purchase (green area) with France. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

Roma in Sliven, Bulgaria

When the Roma people arrived in Europe, curiosity was soon followed by hostility and xenophobia. Roma were enslaved for five centuries in Wallachia and Moldavia until abolition in 1864. Elsewhere in Europe, they were subject to ethnic cleansing, abduction of their children, and forced labor. During World War II, the Nazis murdered 200,000 to 800,000 Roma in an attempted genocide known as the Porajmos. They were marked for extermination and sentenced to forced labor and imprisonment in concentration camps. They were often killed on sight, especially by the Einsatzgruppen (essentially mobile killing units) on the Eastern Front. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Sliven (Bulgarian: Сливен) is a town in southeast Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Sliven Province. ... Look up xenophobia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ... For other uses of Moldavia or Moldova, see Moldova (disambiguation). ... This article is about the abolition of slavery. ... For the video game, see Ethnic Cleansing (computer game). ... Unfree labour is a generic or collective term for forms of work, especially in modern or early modern history, in which adults and/or children are employed without wages, or for a minimal wage. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Not to be confused with Nasi. ... For other uses, see Genocide (disambiguation). ... Roma arrivals in the Belzec extermination camp await instructions The Porajmos (also Porrajmos) literally Devouring, or Samudaripen (Mass killing) is a term coined by the Roma (Gypsy) people to describe attempts by the Nazi regime to exterminate most of the Roma peoples of Europe during The Holocaust. ... It has been suggested that Internment be merged into this article or section. ... A member of Einsatzgruppe D is just about to shoot a Jewish man kneeling before a filled mass grave in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, in 1942. ...

In Communist Eastern Europe, Roma experienced assimilation schemes and restrictions of cultural freedom. The Romany language and Romani music were banned from public performance in Bulgaria. In Czechoslovakia, they were labeled a "socially degraded stratum," and Roma women were sterilized as part of a state policy to reduce their population. This policy was implemented with large financial incentives, threats of denying future social welfare payments, misinformation or after administering drugs (Silverman 1995; Helsinki Watch 1991). An official inquiry from the Czech Republic, resulting in a report (December 2005), concluded that the Communist authorities had practised an assimilation policy towards Roma, which "included efforts by social services to control the birth rate in the Romani community" and that "the problem of sexual sterilisation carried out in the Czech Republic, either with improper motivation or illegally, exists" ^[74], with new revealed cases up until 2004, in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. ^[75] This article is about the form of society and political movement. ... 19th century print of Romani musicians Roma musicians at a wedding in the Czech Republic in 2005 Typically nomadic, the Roma have long acted as wandering entertainers and tradesmen. ... Helsinki Watch was an independent NGO created in mid-1970s to monitor compliance to the Helsinki Accords (signed 1975). ...

In the early 1990s, Germany deported tens of thousands of illegal immigrants to Eastern Europe. Sixty percent of some 100,000 Romanian nationals deported under a 1992 treaty were Roma.^{[citation needed]} In Norway, many Roma were forcibly sterilized by the state until 1977.^[76][77] Illegal alien and Illegal aliens redirect here. ...

In May 2008 Roma camps in Naples, Italy were attacked and set on fire by local residents.^[78]

Society and culture

Main article: Roma society and culture

A Gipsy Family - Facsimile of a woodcut in the "Cosmographie Universelle" of Munster: in folio, Basle, 1552.

The traditional Roma place a high value on the extended family. Virginity is essential in unmarried women. Both men and women often marry young; there has been controversy in several countries over the Roma practice of child marriage. Roma law establishes that the man’s family must pay a bride price to the bride's parents, but only traditional families still follow this rule. A Gipsy Family - Facsimile of a woodcut in the Cosmographie Universelle of Munster: in folio, Basle, 1552. ... Download high resolution version (1338x833, 35 KB)A Gipsy Family. ... Download high resolution version (1338x833, 35 KB)A Gipsy Family. ... Charles Sprague Pearce, Family (1896). ... Virgin redirects here. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Bride price also known as bride wealth or a dower is an amount of money or property paid to the parents of a woman for the right to marry their daughter. ...

Once married, the woman joins the husband's family where her main job is to tend to her husband's and her children's needs, and to take care of the in-laws as well. The power structure in the traditional Roma household has at its top the oldest man or grandfather, and men in general have more authority than women. As women get older, however, they gain respect and authority in the eyes of the community. Young wives begin gaining authority once they mother children.

Roma social behaviour is strictly regulated by Hindu purity laws ("marime" or "marhime"), still respected by most Roma and among Sinti groups by the older generations. This regulation affects many aspects of life, and is applied to actions, people and things: parts of the human body are considered impure: the genital organs (because they produce emissions) as well as the rest of the lower body. Fingernails and toenails must be filed with an emery board, as cutting them with a clipper is a taboo. Clothes for the lower body, as well as the clothes of menstruating women, are washed separately. Items used for eating are also washed in a different place. Childbirth is considered impure, and must occur outside the dwelling place. The mother is considered impure for forty days after giving birth. Death is considered impure, and affects the whole family of the dead, who remain impure for a period of time. However, in contrast to the practice of cremating the dead, Roma dead must be buried.^[79] Cremation and burial are both known from the time of the Rigveda, and both are widely practiced in Hinduism today (although the tendency for higher caste groups is to burn, for lower caste groups in South India to bury their dead)^[80]. Some animals are also considered impure, for instance cats because they lick themselves and mix the impure outside with their pure inside^{[citation needed]}. In biology, psychology and sociology social behavior is behavior directed towards, or taking place between, members of the same species. ... List of bones of the human skeleton Human anatomy is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the adult human body. ... A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, as narrowly defined, is any of the anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in a complex organism; in mammals, these are: Female: Bartholins glands, cervix, clitoris, Fallopian tubes, labia, ovaries, Skenes... This article is about cultural prohibitions in general; for other uses, see Taboo (disambiguation). ... See also Mensuration, a term sometimes used to describe Measurement, particularly in the context of forestry. ... The crematorium at Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, England. ...

Religion

The original Roma people, still in India by the majority, maintain the Hindu religion,^[81] where those who left the subcontinent have converted to the Christian or Islamic faiths. For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ...

Roma have usually adopted the dominant religion of the host country while often preserving aspects of their particular belief systems and indigenous religion and worship. Most Eastern European Roma are Catholic, Orthodox Christian or Muslim. Those in western Europe and the United States are mostly Roman Catholic or Protestant. In Turkey, Egypt, and the southern Balkans, the Roma are split into Christian and Muslim populations. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Orthodox icon of Pentecost. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...

Evangelical Romany churches exist today in every country where Roma are settled. The movement is particularly strong in France and Spain; there are more than one thousand Roma churches (known as "Filadelfia") in Spain, with almost one hundred in Madrid alone. In Germany, the most numerous group is that of Polish Roma, having their main church in Mannheim. Other important and numerous Romany assemblies exist in Los Angeles, California; Houston, Texas; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Mexico City. Some groups in Romania and Chile have joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This article is about the Spanish capital. ... Mannheim is a city in Germany. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... This article is about the U.S state. ... Houston redirects here. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Location of Mexico City Coordinates: , Country Federal entity Boroughs The 16 delegaciones Founded c. ... The Seventh-day Adventist (abbreviated Adventist[3]) Church is a Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath. ...

In the Balkans, the Roma of the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania have been particularly active in Islamic mystical brotherhoods (Sufism). Muslim Roma immigrants to western Europe and America have brought these traditions with them.^{[citation needed]} For an explanation of terms related to Macedonia, see Macedonia (terminology). ... For other uses, see Kosovo (disambiguation). ... Sufism (Arabic: ‎ - taṣawwuf, Kurdish Sufayeti, Persian: صوفی‌گری, sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf), is generally understood by scholars to be the inner or mystical dimension of Islam. ...

Music

Main article: Roma music

Roma music plays an important role in Eastern European countries such as Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Hungary, Russia, and Romania, and the style and performance practices of Roma musicians have influenced European classical composers such as Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms. The lăutari who perform at traditional Romanian weddings are virtually all Roma. Probably the most internationally prominent contemporary performers in the lăutar tradition are Taraful Haiducilor. Bulgaria's popular "wedding music," too, is almost exclusively performed by Roma musicians such as Ivo Papasov, a virtuoso clarinetist closely associated with this genre. Many famous classical musicians, such as the Hungarian pianist Georges Cziffra, are Roma, as are many prominent performers of manele. Zdob şi Zdub, one of the most prominent rock bands in Moldova, although not Roma themselves, draw heavily on Roma music, as do Spitalul de Urgenţă in Romania, Goran Bregović in Serbia, Darko Rundek in Croatia, Beirut and Gogol Bordello in the United States. 19th century print of Roma musicians Typically nomadic, the Roma have long acted as wandering entertainers and tradesmen. ... This article is about the country in Europe. ... This is an alphabetical list of classical music composers sorted by eras. ... Liszt redirects here. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of the Romantic period. ... Lăutari are traditional musicians performing traditional Gypsy songs. ... Taraful Haiducilor (a. ... Ivo Papasov is a Bulgarian clarinetist, born in 1952 in Kurdzhali, Bulgaria. ... This article is about Western art music from 1000 AD to the present. ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... Georges (originally György) Cziffra (November 5, 1921–January 17, 1994) was a Hungarian virtuoso pianist. ... Manele (singular: manea) is a music style from the Balkans, mainly derived from Turkish, Greek, Arab or Serbian love songs. ... Zdob ÅŸi Zdub at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest Zdob ÅŸi Zdub are a Moldovan musical group, based in ChiÅŸinău, whose work for the last several years combines elements of hip-hop (especially sampling) and hardcore punk with traditional Romanian music and Roma music. ... This article is about the genre. ... Spitalul de Urgenţă, literally Emergency Hospital, is a Romanian pop band, integrating elements of traditional Romanian music into a sometimes hard-edged rock sound, although also incorporating influences as diverse as Turkish traditional music, European classical music, and cartoon soundtrack music. ... Goran Bregović (Serbian Cyrillic: Горан Бреговић) (born March 22, 1950) is a musician from Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the most recognizable modern composers of the Balkans. ... Darko Rundek (born 30. ... Beirut is the name of the band of 22-year-old Santa Fe native Zach Condon. ... Gogol Bordello is a multi-ethnic Gypsy punk band from the Lower East Side of New York City that formed in 1999 and is known for its theatrical stage shows. ...

Another tradition of Roma music is the genre of the Gypsy brass band, with such notable practitioners as Boban Marković of Serbia, and the brass lăutari groups Fanfare Ciocărlia and Fanfare din Cozmesti of Romania. A brass band a musical group consisting mostly or entirely of brass instruments, often with a percussion section. ... Boban Marković (Бобан Марковић) is a Serbian trumpet player and brass ensemble leader from Vladicin Han, frequently recognized as the greatest trumpet player to emerge from the Balkans. ... Fanfare Ciocărlia is a popular twelve-piece Roma brass band from the northeastern Romanian village of Zece Prajini. ...

The distinctive sound of Roma music has also strongly influenced bolero, jazz, and flamenco (especially cante jondo) in Europe. European-style Gypsy jazz is still widely practised among the original creators (the Roma People); one who acknowledged this artistic debt was guitarist Django Reinhardt. Contemporary artists in this tradition known internationally include Stochelo Rosenberg,