Native Beliefs
Centuries ago, Gypsies believed in worshiping a goddess called Kali and was represented by a triangle. Today's gypsies have abandoned that belief and have now converted to the religions based on their host countries such as Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. The religion that they choose is often supplemented by the Gypsies traditional belief. For example:
In regards to the human body, Gypsies view the upper body, above the waist, as pure and the lower body, below the waist, as impure. If a part of the upper body, such as the hands, come in contact with the lower half of the body, such as the feet, the hands are now considered impure and need to be washed to become pure again.
When a women becomes pregnant she is considered unclean and must not give birth in the family home to keep it from becoming impure. Once the child is born, the Gypsies view the child as polluted because the child came from the lower half of a woman's body. Therefore, the mother and child are isolated until the child is baptized which is usually occurs a few weeks after birth.
Most Gypsy women practice the art of fortune telling and are called drabardi. In regards to fortune telling, the drabardi only tell the fortunes of non-gypsies.
Gypsies base their behavior on the use of water. They see water as a way to make what is impure, pure. Men and women wash their clothes separately due to impurities of a woman's body.
Some women Gypsies are involved in natural healing techniques and are called drabarni/drabengi. Gypsies believe that the road to health is through ritual purification. Gypsies use a substance called coxai, ghost vomit, which according to Gypsy legend, a "Mamorio meaning little grandmother is a dirty, sickness bringing ghost who eats people, then vomits on garbage piles." They gather the substance that we refer to as slime mold and back it with flour into rocks. The following are also common ailments that Gypsies have found several cures for:
References:
- The existence of God
- The existence of Satan
- Bad luck and good luck
- Curses and healing rituals
In regards to the human body, Gypsies view the upper body, above the waist, as pure and the lower body, below the waist, as impure. If a part of the upper body, such as the hands, come in contact with the lower half of the body, such as the feet, the hands are now considered impure and need to be washed to become pure again.
When a women becomes pregnant she is considered unclean and must not give birth in the family home to keep it from becoming impure. Once the child is born, the Gypsies view the child as polluted because the child came from the lower half of a woman's body. Therefore, the mother and child are isolated until the child is baptized which is usually occurs a few weeks after birth.
Most Gypsy women practice the art of fortune telling and are called drabardi. In regards to fortune telling, the drabardi only tell the fortunes of non-gypsies.
Gypsies base their behavior on the use of water. They see water as a way to make what is impure, pure. Men and women wash their clothes separately due to impurities of a woman's body.
Some women Gypsies are involved in natural healing techniques and are called drabarni/drabengi. Gypsies believe that the road to health is through ritual purification. Gypsies use a substance called coxai, ghost vomit, which according to Gypsy legend, a "Mamorio meaning little grandmother is a dirty, sickness bringing ghost who eats people, then vomits on garbage piles." They gather the substance that we refer to as slime mold and back it with flour into rocks. The following are also common ailments that Gypsies have found several cures for:
- itching - salve of pork fat
- juice of chopped onions sprinkled with sugar - cold/flu
- brown sugar heated in a pan - child's cold
- boiling combined juice of oranges, lemons, water, and sugar, or mashing a clove of harlic in whiskey and drinking - cold
- wrapping slices of cold cooked potato or teas leaves around head with a scarf - mild headache
- vinegar, garlic, and the juice of an unblemished new potato onto a scarf - migraine
- drink a tea of the common nettle or spearmint - stomach trouble
- copper necklaces or bracelets - arthritis pain
References:
- http://www.religioustolerance.org/roma2.htm
- http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Du-Ha/Gypsy-Americans.html