The Roma, also known as Romani or Gypsies, are an ethnic group that originated in northern India but have lived in Europe for centuries. They have faced extensive persecution and discrimination. There are estimated to be 10-12 million Roma in Europe today who remain marginalized with high poverty rates and lack of opportunities. Roma culture is family-focused and traditions include arranged marriages. The Romani language has roots in Sanskrit but most Roma are multilingual. The document discusses the religious practices of Roma communities and efforts of the United Methodist Church to support Roma people.

1. The Roma of Europe:
Culture, Crisis &
Opportunity
March 17, 2015

2. Outline
Introduction
Devotion
I. Who are the Roma?
II. Roma Family Life
III. A Modern Roma Woman
IV. Walking in Faith
Discussion
Prayer

3. Who are the Roma?

4. The Romani Flag
Blue: sky & heavens
Green : earth
Spoked wheel: migration & movement

5. Origins
• Roma (sometimes called Rroma) are often called Gypsies. In UK, called
“Travellers”
• Belief if Roma migrated from India between 600 & 1000 CE
Mahmud of Ghazni was the Muslim leader of the Ghaznavid Dynasty. His armies
invaded Hindu Shahi Kingdom many times and took prisoners of war. Many became
artisans, elephant drivers, crafters.
1040 Ghaznavids conquered by Turkish Seljuqs and prisoners forced to either fight for
Seljuqs or escape to Armenia. Some came to be known as “Doms” which means
human beings. As they moved to Europe and the curl of the tongue made “Dom”
sound like “Rom”

6. Migration
• 14th & 15th century ~ migrated to Europe
• 16th century to England, Denmark & Scotland
• Late 19th century to North America from Russia and the Balkans
• In the United States, Roma traveled about in rural areas until the Great Depression
of the 1930s, when most settled in large cities on both coasts.

7. Estimated Roma Population
• Between 15 and 30 million Roma
worldwide
• Some 10 million Roma live in
Europe, and they make up that
continent`s largest minority
population
• 1 million in United States

8. Exclusion & Persecution
• Shortly after arriving in Europe, the Romani were enslaved in many regions, a
cultural heritage that continued into the 19th century in countries like Romania. In
England, Switzerland and Denmark, the Romani were put to death throughout the
medieval era. Many countries, such as Germany, Italy and Portugal, ordered the
expulsion of all Romani.
• Persecution of the Romani occurred during World War II, when they were among
the first targets of Nazi atrocities, An estimated 2 million Romani died in
concentration camps and through other means of extermination.
• In the post-war era, the Romani remained an oppressed group, especially in the
Soviet Union. As recently as the 1980s, Roma women in Czechoslovakia were
forced to undergo sterilization to limit the Romani population.

9. Roma Family Life

10. Customs & Values
• Virginity is essential in unmarried women.
• Romani law establishes that the man's
family must pay a bride’s price the bride's
parents, but only traditional families still
follow this rule.
• Main role is caring for husband's and her
children's needs, as well as to take care of
her in-laws.
• Women gain respect and authority as they
get older Young wives begin gaining
authority once they have children
• Strictly regulated by Hindu Purity &
affects many aspects of life:
• The entire lower body is considered
impure
• Clothes for the lower body, as well as the
clothes of menstruating women, are
washed separately.
• 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.
• Romani dead must be buried, not
cremated.

11. Cycles of Poverty
• In all Roma households, household
members suffer from hunger.
• The odds of graduating secondary
school are 29 percent at the
highest, and much lower in some of
the countries in the region,
especially among girls.
• Less than half of all Roma men and
a quarter or less of all Roma
women can find jobs. At the root of
these unequal outcomes lies a
fundamentally unfair playing field,
starting at birth and continuing
throughout the lives of most Roma
individuals.
This spurs a self-perpetuating cycle
of unequal opportunities, ethnic
discrimination and stifled
aspirations.

12. Language
Most Romani speak one of several dialects of
the Romani language in an Indo-Aryan
language, with roots in Sanskrit
• Romani speakers are bilingual and are
accustomed to borrowing words or
phrases from a second language; makes it
difficult when trying to communicate with
Romani's from different countries
• Romani was traditionally shared between
extended family and a close-knit
community. This has resulted in the
inability to comprehend dialects from
other countries. This is the reason Romani
is sometimes associated as being a
number of different languages.
• There is no tradition or example of a
literary Standard for Romani speakers to
use as a guideline for their language use
“Hello” in Romani
Te aves baxtalo(i) (Kalderash)
Sar san tu (Gurbeti)
T'aves baxtalo/baxtali! (Lovari)
Te aven baxtale (Xoraxane)

13. Modern Roma Woman

14. Walking in Faith

15. Faith
• Roma adopt the religious faith
of the countries in which they
live.
• Some Roma are Roman
Catholic, while others embrace
the Eastern Orthodox,
Protestant, or Islamic faiths.
• Generally the Roma prefer to
carry out religious rituals in
their own homes or as part of
folk observances.

16. United Methodists & the Roma
• Active since 1920s
• 33,500 United Methodists in Central
& S Europe Episcopal area
• 7 annual conferences
• 16 countries
• 35 churches in central conference

17. Discussion & Action Items
• Pray for the Roma
• Continue Learning
• In Mission Together
www.umcmission.org/Get-
Involved/Partnerships/In-Mission-
Together
• The Advance #3020676
• Befriend a Romani family
• Be an advocate
• Apply what you learned to other
minorities

18. Resources
Gypsies –Howard Greenfield
History of the Gypsies of E Europe & Russian- David Crowe
The Gypsy Trail: The history and legacy of Rom Culture in Chicago –Mike Witter
On the Road: Centuries of Roma History-BBC News
We are the Romani People-Ian Hancock
Roma People in Europe: A Long History of Discrimination-Laura Renzi
Power of the Word-ww.Rroma.org
Religion & Beliefs-www.Rroma.org
The Roma of Eastern Europe: Still Searching for Inclusion-Arno Tanner
Breaking the Cycle of Exclusion: Roma Children in South East Europe-UNICEF
On Romani Origins & Identity-Ian Hancock