Religion of the Gypsies. What is the religion of the gypsies? Christian or other
Let's start with the literary tradition. From the quotes below, one can judge what has been written about the religiosity of the Gypsies for the past two hundred years:
They do not profess any religion, but follow fetishism, that is, they worship objects useful for their life: tents, carts and forges; they believe like the Turks in predestination. In Christian lands they pretend to be Christians, in Turkey they are Mohammedans, and with Jews they are Jews.1
Mikhail Kogalniceanu. 1837
Gypsies do not have a trace of religion, and if one Eastern writer claims that “there are seventy-two faiths and a half in the world,” meaning by “half” the faith of gypsies, then this is not true, because they have no faith at all.2
"Light in pictures". 1880
Understanding nothing in the Christian faith, the gypsies usually willingly accept it, but only outwardly. He even...
One of the most frequently asked questions to me is what is the REAL faith of gypsies?
The adherence to the faith of the ancestors among the Gypsies is surprisingly stable, although I have seen statements many times in tyrnetik that the Gypsies always follow the religious customs of the area where ...
Most of the Roma profess Christianity or Islam, but there are also representatives of other faiths.
Gypsies-Christians are very devout, they pay great attention to church holidays.
Orthodox gypsies in everyday life dress strictly in accordance with the recommendations of the Orthodox Church. In the house of Orthodox gypsies, just like Russians, there is a “red corner” in which icons are located. The wedding is considered more important than the civil registration of marriage. More important than a wedding is only the "gypsy wedding", that is, the recognition of marriage by gypsy society. It is usually played before the wedding.
Orthodox gypsies consider St. Nicholas and St. George to be their patrons, Catholics - Blessed Seferino (officially approved in this role by the Vatican), as well as Mother Teresa and the mythical character Saru Kali.
The most significant religious holidays for all Christian Gypsies are Easter and Christmas.
Muslim gypsies are also religious, but do not follow some Muslim customs. For example,…
Here is what the Soviet gypsy linguist and ethnographer Lexa Manush (Alexander Dmitrievich Belugin, 1942 - 1997) wrote in his article "The Cult of Shiva and the Gypsies", published in No. 6 of the journal "Soviet Ethnography" for 1979.
The question of the religion of the Gypsies is one of the problems of undoubted interest both for scientists (Gypsies and religious scholars) and for a wide range of non-specialists. When it comes to gypsies, most often, perhaps, one has to hear: “And what faith are they? What is their religion?
However, despite the long history of gypsy studies, very little has been achieved so far in this area, although the authors touch on this issue in almost every monograph on gypsies. True, as a rule, in the sections devoted to religion, it is only reported that the gypsies believe in a god, whom they call devel 'devel', and that his antipode is the devil, whom they call beng 'beng'. among the gypsies of the official religion of one or ...
Religious scholar Roman Lunkin on how religion determines the fate of the world
Yakov Krotov: I want to start the program with a short video interview. If we are going to talk about how faith affects the planet Earth, all of humanity, culture, it is probably good to remember that faith, first of all, affects the believer, the person who professes this faith. And about this interview with the poetess Daria Serenko.
Daria Serenko: At some specific, very difficult moment for me, there were good people nearby who turned out to be churched, that is, there were some very simple things - I think they are common to many. And in the wake of this depressive state, religion had some therapeutic value for me (now I already appreciate it, but then I would be very offended if I were told this).
I am engaged in poetry, modern literature, and I had a very strong conflict with my confessor - art and religion. This shouldn't be a dichotomy, but...
The gypsy tribe is a mystery from the very beginning, historically. A people that does not have its own land will never settle firmly in world history. It's simple: we have never seen their buildings of 3-5 centuries ago, household items, have not read the reports of archaeological expeditions (one of the most reliable ways to supply various numbers and dates to history). They do not have their corner on this planet, they have not inherited anywhere.
G. Gass finds the beginning of the gypsies in the southern side of the Bosphorus, M. Niger - in the northern part of the kingdom of Tunisia; H. Gerbello assumed that the gypsies came from Zanzibar, E. Sylvius - from the mountains of the Caucasus; K. Ekkar claimed their relationship with the Circassians, Vagesil - with German Jews. K. Grisemann pointed to Egypt, PS Pallas - to the Danube and Ukraine. And they are Bulgarians, goddesses, Hungarians and many others. And this is not a stigma: today a Jew, tomorrow a Spaniard. No formalities.
Disagreements about the origin of the gypsies were stopped by Grelman and Pott. Taking linguistics as a basis for analysis. If you plant even a modern gypsy, ...
Gypsy beliefs: a couple of words. gipsylilya - 03/14/2012 One of the most frequently asked questions to me is what is the REAL faith of the gypsies?
People who ask it are usually pre-configured to hear one of the following options: "Hinduism/Paganism", "Fire worship/Sun worship", or simply "Gypsies don't believe in anything".
And I, as an honest woman, have to destroy their world, explaining that the Muslim gypsies have the Muslim faith, and the Christian gypsies have the Christian, and in both cases the real one. And if Christian gypsies are quite mobile in relation to Christian denominations (Catholic Magyars do not see a big problem in moving to the Evangelical camp, because there is a cross here and there, for example), then they rarely and reluctantly switch from Christianity to Islam and vice versa, mostly the transition is made by women to the faith of their husband. True, inter-religious marriages among gypsies are rare.
The adherence to the faith of the ancestors among the gypsies is surprisingly persistent, although ...
Gypsy culture is very diverse and rich. This is due to the wide distribution of gypsies around the world, a rich, albeit short, history and the complexity of the ethnic composition of this non-territorial nation. Gypsy culture has a noticeable influence on the musical culture of the world.
Indian heritage
The ancestors of the gypsies lived in the north-west of India, they, according to the most popular hypothesis now, belonged to the “home” caste (scientists still have not come to a consensus about the place of this caste in the Indian pre-Muslim hierarchy) and spoke a language derived from Sanskrit and related to modern Hindi. The occupations of the caste were songs, dances, jewelry and blacksmithing.
In the modern culture of the Gypsies, some heritage of Indian ancestors has been preserved: the grammar and vocabulary of the Gypsy language remained related to Sanskrit, the crafts of the “house” caste are included in the list of traditional Gypsy occupations, the initial splitting into ethnic groups occurred on the basis of the profession, just like in India ...
The Gypsies profess the dominant religion in the country of their residence. In some places, they also learn the language of the surrounding population, finally losing their native language.
For example, in Russia the gypsies are Orthodox, in Spain they are Catholics, in Turkey they are Mohammedans, and so on. This does not prevent them everywhere from observing many religious rites and beliefs taken from their old homeland. This is evidenced by their most ethnographically interesting wedding, funeral, childbirth, naming and so on rituals. Their views on the afterlife and funeral rites belong to the most primitive.
Gypsy rituals
Here are some customs and rituals from the life of gypsies: Wedding. A week before marriage, the bride and groom go to a river or lake and place two lighted candles on the shore. If one of them goes out without burning out, this is considered a bad omen; then young people throw apples and eggs into the water (sacred objects of common Aryan mythology), for propitiation ...
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Gypsy Ivanov, for the sake of faith in God, went against the camp, but the camp followed him
When Elizbar's father was still Edik, the city of Kimry had a reputation as the heroin capital of Central Russia. The electric train from Moscow was popularly called the "green needle": normal people did not get into the last carriage - only drug addicts rode in it. All junkies within a radius of three hundred kilometers gathered for cheap heroin here, at the Savelovo station, or rather, to Hollywood: this is how the gypsy village is called here. Local youth quickly mastered a simple business: you, Muscovite, stay on the platform, I will run to the camp instead of you, and I will give ten percent to myself. Very soon it became difficult to find a teenager with an adequate expression in the eyes in the city.
Hungarian gypsies live in Hollywood, they are called Lovari, - a local intelligence officer told me at that time. - They appeared here at the end of the sixties, after they were turned away from Ukraine. First, these lovari launched trade ...
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I am a gypsy, can I be a real Christian? How can I be strengthened in faith? Asks victor
Answered by Vasily Yunak, 01/20/2012
Victor writes:
…
Gypsy culture is very diverse and rich. This is due to the wide distribution of gypsies around the world, rich, albeit short, history and the complexity of the ethnic composition of this non-territorial nation. Gypsy culture has a noticeable influence on the musical culture of the world (especially Romanian, Hungarian, Balkan, Spanish folk music, as well as classical music of the 19th century, jazz, flamenco).
Gypsies in different countries are characterized by uneven development of areas of high culture. So, the majority of gypsy artists are natives of Hungary, the musical culture is most developed among the gypsies of Russia, Hungary, Romania, Spain, the Balkan countries, gypsy literature is currently more developed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine and Russia, acting art - in Russia and Ukraine .
With all the diversity of gypsy culture among different ethnic groups, one can note a similar system of values and perception of the world.
The ancestors of the gypsies lived in the northwest of India, they, according to the most popular ...
Many people think that the gypsies are all without exception pagans and worship fire or the sun.
But in fact, most of the gypsies profess the religion of the country where they live. It can be, for example, Christianity, Islam or Buddhism.
What do gypsies believe?
The gypsy faith has its own characteristics. So, Orthodox gypsies consider St. Nicholas and St. George to be their patron, and Catholics - Blessed Seferino and at the same time a certain Sarah Kali, who is a mythical character at all.
Candidate of Philology, religious scholar, senior researcher at the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences Roman Lunkin comments: “Gypsies accept the religion of the country where they are and where they have been living for quite a long time. At present, as far as I know, there are those who profess Islam and those who profess Christianity (the majority of them because many gypsies live in Russia, Romania, Hungary, Moldova. In general, gypsies-Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox and Muslims.
What religious customs do gypsies observe?
In Russia, the majority of Roma are Orthodox and undergo the rite of baptism. Many of them are quite devout. So, in the houses of settled gypsies there is a “red corner” with icons. They try to observe religious rites, and married couples are sure to get married in a church, and the wedding ritual is considered more important than registering a marriage in the registry office. But even more important is the “gypsy wedding”, which is played even before the wedding - it means the recognition of marriage by the gypsy community.
The biggest religious holidays for Orthodox Gypsies are Christmas and Easter. For Turkish Christian Gypsies, the biggest holiday is Hidrelez, which is celebrated on the night of May 5-6. It is also celebrated in the Balkans, where it is called Ederlezi and is dedicated to St. George.
The Russian Vlach Gypsies have a curious custom. On Radonitsa, women and children certainly visit cemeteries, where they ask for alms from visitors. And it doesn't have to be beggars. Thus, they fulfill a certain Christian “duty”, helping other people to do a good deed. By the way, Russians often know about this and on this day they willingly serve change to the gypsies.
Muslim gypsies also pay attention to religious customs, but not all. So, gypsies in Islamic countries never cover their faces. Not everyone practices the rite of circumcision of the foreskin.
Religious myths of the gypsies
By the way, there is such a legend among Christian gypsies. When Christ was crucified, gypsies passed by and stole one nail. For this, God allegedly allowed the gypsy people to steal sometimes. Therefore, the gypsies do not see anything wrong with theft and fraud. Gypsy culture experts consider this myth not so old and believe that it was born in the Balkans.
Another legend says that God especially loves the gypsies for their fun and talent, therefore he did not tie them to patches of land, as he did with other nations, but gave them the whole world. Therefore, they led a nomadic lifestyle. Indeed, gypsies can be found in all parts of the Earth, except perhaps Antarctica.
As you can see, the gypsies have their own interpretation of faith. “I can't say that Roma are very religious people,” says Roman Lunkin. - They rather have a more developed tribal system, which is the basis of their life and true religion. The rest is all the cultural features of the country where they live, in which they are embedded.
What is the religion of the gypsies? It's not just their outfits that are colorful. Their religious views are also very diverse. They mainly depend on where they live. Although, of course, there are exceptions to every rule.
Where do gypsies professing Orthodoxy live?
For example, among those who live in Russia, the prevailing religion is Orthodoxy, as is the case with the main part of Russians. As in the main part of the CIS countries. Romanians are also Orthodox.
In what countries do Muslim gypsies live?
Lyuli (gypsies living in Tajikistan) predominantly adhere to the Islamic faith. Like many living in Central Asia and North Africa.
And where do the gypsies-Catholics and Protestants live?
Among the Roma living in Poland and other European countries, the main religion is Catholicism. The same is true with Protestantism. In countries where this religion is widespread, they adhere to it.
In art
In the film "Gypsy Aza" the Sun was often mentioned, and even as a deity. Who knows, maybe they worshiped the Sun and followed him? In any case, one of these people could well.
A legend that is common among the gypsies
A beautiful legend is also widespread among this people. When the Romans decided to crucify Christ, they ordered the blacksmith (who, of course, was a gypsy) to make five large nails, that is, to forge, they were needed for the execution. Four are for the arms and legs, and the fifth is for the heart. He, of course, made an attempt to refuse, but he, with the help of whips, was forced to do this work.
When the execution began, the gypsy quietly swallowed the fifth nail intended for the heart. For this, the Lord loved all the gypsies and patronizes them to this day.
Another version is less poetic: the gypsy simply stole the fifth nail, and for this God allowed the gypsies to steal.
As with any nation, there are also atheists among the gypsies. This is especially typical in our time. And in principle, this is the most believing people. They regularly attend church and perform all the rituals typical of the country in which they live. This is especially true for the older generation.
What can be said as a conclusion?
The life and customs of the gypsy people are in many ways similar to the customs of the countries in which they live. That is, this people have the ability to adapt to everything. Including the religion of the state in which they live at the moment. They do not have an official religion, which these people adhere to in all countries of residence.
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Most of the Roma profess Christianity or Islam, but there are also representatives of other faiths.
Gypsies-Christians are very devout, they pay great attention to church holidays.
Orthodox gypsies in everyday life dress strictly in accordance with the recommendations of the Orthodox Church. In the house of Orthodox gypsies, just like Russians, there is a “red corner” in which icons are located. The wedding is considered more important than the civil registration of marriage. More important than a wedding is only the "gypsy wedding", that is, the recognition of marriage by gypsy society. It is usually played before the wedding.
Orthodox gypsies consider St. Nicholas and St. George to be their patrons, Catholics - Blessed Seferino (officially approved in this role by the Vatican), as well as Mother Teresa and the mythical character Saru Kali.
The most significant religious holidays for all Christian Gypsies are Easter and Christmas.
Muslim gypsies are also religious, but do not follow some Muslim customs. For example, Muslim gypsies do not cover their faces even in countries where this is customary among the local population; some groups of Muslim gypsies do not practice circumcision, etc.
At different times, the Roma have been persecuted or discriminated against on religious grounds. In the Turkish Empire, Christian gypsies were taxed heavily. In Kosovo, Albanian militants killed or drove out Roma along with other Christians. In modern Israel, Muslim gypsies (domari) are often discriminated against by the lower strata of the Jewish and Muslim population, and sometimes by the middle strata. However, the religiosity of the Gypsies is so great that they do not think of changing their faith, and in Soviet times they did not become atheists, contrary to the widespread stereotype about the Gypsies, which says that they easily change their faith to one convenient for their place of residence.
Gypsies - religious figures
Ceferino Jimenez Malia
Mateo Maximov
Rodney Smith
Despite the poorly developed written culture, the Gypsies have a well-developed philosophy. Philosophical tales, songs and aphorisms make up a significant part of gypsy folklore. Most of the terms of philosophy are easily understood by non-gypsies, but some require a separate explanation.
Romanipe
It is conventionally accepted to translate this word as “gypsy spirit” or “gypsy culture”, but the meaning of this word is somewhat wider. Romanipe is the gypsy spirit, the gypsy essence, the gypsy law, the willingness and desire to follow the gypsy law, the awareness of belonging to the gypsy society, the desire to belong to the gypsy community, a set of gypsy character traits, etc. taken together. An ethnic non-gypsy who has Romanipe is recognized as a gypsy. Usually this is an adopted child of non-Roma origin, who grew up within the framework of the Romani culture.
A person who does not have Romanipe. This can even be an ethnic gypsy, brought up outside the framework of the gypsy culture, not having gypsy qualities and not striving to belong to the gypsy community. But still, usually "gadzho" (pl. "gadzhe") practically means "non-gypsy". The word itself comes from the Indian word "gavja" - "village dweller" (the ancestors of the gypsies were artists and artisans and opposed themselves to the peasants).
Romano rat
Literally translated as "gypsy blood". Romano rat is a carrier of gypsy genes. This includes both the gypsies themselves and the gadjes, who are gypsy mestizos. Ethnic gypsies, who are not aware of themselves as carriers of Romanipe, still belong to the Romano rat. It is believed that gypsy blood is strong, and among non-gypsies who are Romanor rat, it manifests itself in a craving for gypsy culture, a creative outlook on life, temperament and a constant spiritual search, wherever they were brought up.
Romanor rats are recognized for the right to become gypsies, however, the same stringent conditions for compliance with Romanipe are imposed as those who grew up inside the gypsy culture.
List of famous people who are Romano rat
Vadim Kozin
Singer, USSR
Sarah Alexander
(Sara Alexander), ethno singer and accordionist, Israel-France
Adam Ant
Singer, actor, USA
Frederic Belinsky
Jazz guitarist, France
Vasily Volkov
Composer, Russia
Ronnie Wood
Guitarist for the Rolling Stones, UK
Evgeny Gudz(Eugene Hütz), vocalist and leader of the gypsy punk rock band Gogol Bordello
Nikolai Dobrynin
Actor, Russia
Yuri Dombrovsky
Reading Raymond Buckland's Gypsies. Secrets of life and tradition. Came across this place, in the chapter on religious beliefs:
“In Gypsies: Wanderers of the World (McDowell B. Gypsies: Wanderers of the World. Washington, D. C: National Geographic Society, 1970), Gypsy Cliff Lee reports the following: “I often went to church, but only to baptisms. Priests at baptism gave the baby coins. I remember as children we went to church eight times in one Sunday and baptized the same baby each time. Each church gave a different name, and the baby was borrowed.”
What is overseas exotic! There are many of our gypsies who visit the Minusinsk Spassky Cathedral.
I love them like children ... Children, as you know, are uncompromising creatures, often cruel, emotionally drunk, extremely, sloppy, simply dirty, naive, and all this coexists in them with primordial purity (for whom everyday everyday observations of children are not enough and who live in ivory tower, feeding on the secondary homogenized puree of literature-film-music, he may recall "Peter Pan", "Lord of the Flies" by Golding or the film "Scarecrow" by Rolan Bykov, in extreme cases - the American comedy "Problem Child") - they still just learning to live, it could be like that in the Garden of Eden ...
Photo: Anzor Bukharsky, photosight.ru
Uncompromising - but torquemadas and Vyshinskys rarely come out of children: the fate of exiles, the cross of sorrows and roads imposed on the gypsies by God, does not allow them to become stagnant in evil, that is, to rise to a spiritual level higher - and to commit evil a degree higher (remember, u, v "Reflection on the Psalms": "If God's call does not make us better, it will make us much worse. Of all the bad people, the worst are the bad religious people. Of all the creatures, the worst is the one who has seen God face to face...." Offtopic : from here the philistine conclusion of a contemporary could follow: of all the current Russians, for example, the priests are the worst of all; but really, let's not rush!).
Priest Sergiy Kruglov
In our town there is an area consisting mainly of one-story wooden houses built in the 40s - 50s of the last century, called the Gypsy swamp. "Gypsy" - because a large part of the population here are Roma. “Swamp” - because Minusinsk lies at the bottom of a geological formation called the “Minusinsk Hollow”, and the Gypsy Swamp is the most swampy bottom of this basin: the area is located in the floodplain of some ancient reservoir, it is constantly flooded with spring melt water, the soils here are sandy and easily drinkable moisture.
I remember that there, in the area of Manskaya and Krasnoyarskaya streets, there is a half-pond-half-pool, in which every spring you can see great armadas of juvenile harlots, plowing the water surface on gates torn from fences, rafts hastily knocked together from slabs, controlled by poles, and inflated chambers; ukhari arrange formidable trafalgars among themselves here, fighting not for life, but for death, just like street to street, in the best, time-honored heroic traditions of mysterious russian soul.
The gypsies who live here, what they live with - I don’t know for sure, therefore I won’t lie, but they sell techie alcohol (aka “shmurdyak”, aka “awl” in the local dialect) and marijuana, yes, they sell. In fairness, I note: they are far from alone ... But somehow they “trade”, and do not trade with might and main, brazenly and shamelessly, and they don’t build any magnificent palaces for themselves in Minusinsk - however, it’s better not to contact for specifics on these facts to me, but to the relevant local police authorities.
Gypsies often come to the Spassky Cathedral.
... Faina is an elderly gypsy, similar to the Indian actress Zinat Aman, if she is aged to 70 years (however, who knows - maybe the charming traitor from the Soviet-Indian film about Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is already 70, I haven’t seen her for a long time new masterpieces of Bollywood).
She goes to almost every service, to every service, and repents with tears, all in the same thing ... She does not know the depths of patristic psychology, she cannot clearly voice the eight deadly sins with their divisions, but her tears for the whole family, for unlucky children and grandchildren, for a clumsy life - are genuine. That each of her confessions touches my heart - her joyful and incredulous amazement when I say a permissive prayer: “- Faina. “Yes, Faya!… Father, do you remember my name?!..”
... About ten years ago it was. The time is around midnight. I'm going to sleep. Persistent ringing at the door ... I open: madamaragaya! The stairwell is full of gypsies. An elderly woman excitedly says to me: “Father, please come with us! I have a child, a girl, in intensive care, confess, take communion ... ”Where to go, got ready, went.
On the way I find out: how old is the girl?
“Yes, thirty-two.”
Whoa, I think. Big…
– What happened to her?
- “Yes, her husband left her, she drank vinegar ...”
I come to the ward - a young gypsy, a beauty, is lying on her back in bed, toiling terribly - acetic acid has burned everything, from the larynx to the rectum, she cannot speak, there are tears in her eyes ... It is clear that I can’t give her the Holy Gifts - she has nothing to swallow. At least confess... And what is the generality of that confession. He only asked in his hearts: “Do you yourself, I say, understand that you are a fool?” Nodding, crying... He covered it with a stole, read a prayer.
She died shortly after a few hours. Children, you say? Yes, she also had children, they usually give birth to all children, gypsies and protection are not honored. Well, there were a lot of relatives there, they didn’t let the children go to waste, I think.
... I always noted how earnestly they observe external rituals, they are baptized habitually and correctly, everyone knows by heart. Centuries of wandering, apparently, taught them to accept the religion of the country in which they stopped, to honor it, even to mimic ...
In the cemeteries of Minusinsk, both in the old and in the new, gypsy graves are the most prominent. And not only because the monuments are bright, expensive, the fences are forged, for centuries, because the pomposity of wreaths (children love toys) climbs into the eyes. These graves are family graves. The tables are strong, benches, barbecues are dug in nearby. And they come there on parental days with the whole camp - from the elderly to great-great-grandchildren. And they will always find a priest in the vastness of the cemetery - on, for example, this is both troublesome and problematic - and politely take them by the arms to the grave, serve lithium, and greet with all respect. With superficial, someone will say? Yes, even so. Ordinary wrapped running ass and that's nice.
… In general, christenings and funerals are such moments of human life when you touch something simple and important. Christenings and funeral services for gypsies - including. They once baptized a gypsy girl, about two years old. Large, like a five year old.
As often happens with children for baptism (in the church for the first time, they think that they may have brought to the hospital, they are afraid of a man with a beard in an apron and with a wand in his hand, even more so - if they were torn from their mother, they gave it to their godmother), the girl yawned to roar, powerful bass. The godmother, who tried to hold her in her arms, tore out a tuft of hair ... Numerous relatives present at the baptism yelled: “Jah! Jah!…”, grabbed the child, pushed me into a corner, tried to shove the girl into the font herself… barely repulsed and finished the sacrament. It's hot, I remember, it's summer, sweat is pouring from everyone in a stream.
The girl came out of the font quiet, and really like a newborn. In Church Slavonic, “baptism” is “bath of resurrection”. "Pakistanie" - eternal life; and the bath ... the bath is the bath.
I once buried two gypsies - husband and wife, young, about thirty years old. They killed them, took the car away, lowered them themselves under the ice, and found them in the spring.
A gypsy hut, a combination of luxury and dirt: expensive wallpapers, burgundy with gold, plastic double-glazed windows in the window openings of the hut, fragments of European-style renovation, the iconostasis in the corner shines with gilded foil. Two coffins made of mahogany (or imitation?) - next to each other; all relatives have a mink on their heads, leather jackets on their shoulders, unwashed fingers are all in gold.
Luxurious coffins stand on shaky stools, the floor is spit and covered in gobies, on the tables - vodka immeasurably; props of grief ... What was genuine - the marble and calm faces of the deceased, and - the tears of their mother. Her cry, restrained, not to howl, but sincere - the woman who gave birth and buried children, Rachel, crying for her children, cries in all languages, in all religions and cultures - the same.
... Passion for what gypsies love to give oaths. They swear - and then, unable to fulfill, they go to the temple in horror, they say, remove the oath from me. The other day a woman came crying. What am I saying? “But I don’t know what to do! And I swore on the grave!…” – On what grave, what is it?! - “And on the grave I swore that I would slaughter him! I swore by this child! ... ”A child is loitering behind her back - a curly black-haired guy of about twenty, who looks like he is bursting with health and with this health adjusted to live at least a hundred years. “Eh,” I say. - What nonsense, you need to come to confession. He nods his head happily; I know for sure - it will come.
Gypsy women are generally a special article. Their husbands are often useless: they don’t work, they get drunk, and their wives are forced to get money by any means. So they get it ... No matter how many of them came to the temple, with all sorts of needs - whether to ask for advice, whether to consecrate the house, whether to baptize a child - looking at all of them, I thought: yes, these are women. Such and such, it is clear that gypsies, what to take from them. Approximately the same as God created them back then, in the Garden of Eden (which thoughts, looking at European feminists, for example, you cannot say in a fairy tale or dream in a nightmare).
Much more could be written about gypsies. About an old woman who predicted to me a long time ago - just like that, for a ladle of water on a hot day - all the main stages of my life, which I did not believe in the slightest at that time. About the holy girl Rimma Zolotareva, who suffered from a brain disorder and communicated with angels, whom I communed until the day of her death and about whom I wrote the poem “Spring of Light”, which was subsequently translated into various European languages.
Mom said that my family was also mixed with gypsies, and I saw pre-war photos of my grandfathers cousins - handsome, each like Nikolai Slichenko, all communists and violent heads, somewhere these heads were then laid down, and I I myself don’t know anything about gypsies, how rum and scrap differ, or who Black Sarah is, nothing at all.
About the fact that we are all children of God, and who has what gifts and from whom what will be asked, and why God has useful laying hens, why - songful nightingales, and why - completely useless vagrants-sparrows ... There could be a lot of things write, is it worth it? For the wise Ecclesiastes said in Holy Scripture: “… To compose many books there will be no end, and to read much is tiring for the bodies. a” (Eccl. 12:12b)