The main secrets of
the Gypsies that everyone needs to know
Bearers of a unique
culture, the Roma evoke mixed feelings. Some are frightened by them, others are
inspired. No one is indifferent.
Where do you keep your path
from?
In the past, it was
mistakenly believed that the Gypsies were Egyptians. Today’s genetic research
unequivocally proves that the starting point of the migration of the “free
people” was India. The Indian tradition has been preserved in the Gypsy
culture in the form of practices for working with the mind. The mechanisms of
meditation and gypsy hypnosis are similar in many ways, the gypsies, like the
Indians, are good animal trainers. Gypsies are also characterized by syncretism
of spiritual beliefs, which is one of the features of modern Indian culture.
Gypsies have had a huge impact on world culture. Balkan music and the
Boho style, which are in trend today, are products of gypsy influence.
There is no such people as
the Gypsies. It is a collective name for several ethnic groups. Gypsies call
themselves Roma (stress on the last syllable). Most likely, this is the
influence of the life of the Gypsies in Byzantium, which began to be called Byzantium
only after its fall. Before that, it was thought of as part of Roman
civilization. The common word “Romale” is the vocative case of the
ethnonym “Roma”.
“At least you talk to
me, seven-string friend”
The Roma are unique for
their musical culture. Not only are they deeply integrated into the music, but
they also influence the culture of the peoples of the countries in which they
find themselves. This influence can be found almost everywhere. Sometimes
cultures are so intertwined that we don’t always know when we listen to a
romance whether to call it Russian or Gypsy.
Seven-string guitar – is it
Russian or gypsy?
It is believed that the
seven-string guitar was invented in the 1790s by Andrei Osipovich Sikhra. He
made the first sample of the instrument in Vilnius, and later, upon his arrival
in Moscow, he modified it. He became a real star, people signed up for lessons
with him, he gave concerts and had an undoubted gift for music. His father was
also a musician. I will not draw on facts and assert that Sirkha was a gypsy,
but it was in the gypsy environment that the instrument was developed.
Before the revolution of
1917, the seven-string guitar, the distinctive feature of which is the tuning –
G major – was a very popular instrument. Pushkin, Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Leskov
listened to gypsy romances to the accompaniment of a seven-string guitar.
As one of the symbols of the “tsarist system”, the
seven-string in the USSR lost its position, and it was replaced by a six-string
guitar with a classical Spanish tuning.
However, the gypsies did
not abandon the seven-string guitar. Moreover, it was the Russian Gypsies who
first brought these guitars overseas to Brazil after the revolution. The
seven-string guitar can still be heard today – not only in the Romen Theater, but
also on the pop stage. For example, Madonna had a whole tour, where she was
accompanied by Vadim Kolpakov, the soloist of the ensemble “Via
Romen”.
Balkan music has also
become very popular today, flesh of the flesh – gypsy music. Its development,
by the way, is facilitated by the excellent films of Emir Kusturica, who is
also a musician, the leader of the No Smoking Orchestra.
The seven-string guitar
survived in the USSR also thanks to the bard’s song. Vladimir Vysotsky, Bulat
Okudzhava, Yuri Vizbor, Sergei Nikitin – all of them are “seven-string
players”.
“Gild the pen!”
Gypsy hypnosis is a typical
example of neuro-linguistic programming. There is nothing mysterious, let alone
frightening, about it. If you are so afraid of gypsy hypnosis, you can even
attend hypnosis seminars, where you will be told everything about the nature of
trance and methods of suppressing a person’s will centers by capturing his
attention.
Gypsy hypnosis is an
incredibly fascinating and voluminous topic, so I will tell you only about some
of its basic principles and methods.
The main thing that any
hypnotist achieves is to obtain the so-called rapport – control contact. The
technique of gypsy hypnosis is based on controlling the mind through attention,
so the first thing a hypnotist does is try to switch your external attention to
your inner attention.
Psychologist Sergei
Zelinsky, in his work on gypsy hypnosis, emphasizes: “Gypsies are well aware of the phenomenology of deep
trances, so if they notice a sign of a phenomenon, they immediately contribute
to its development, thereby plunging the client into an even deeper state of
trance.”
So that the gypsies don’t
approach anyone. They have a well-developed intuition and easily distinguish
people from the crowd with a high level of hypnotizability – that is, a
predisposition to suggestion. Traditionally, hypnosis takes place in crowded places.
Again, this is part of the ritual – the attention of a person in the crowd is
distracted. Traditionally, these are markets and shops, that is, places where a
person comes with money, as well as in a state of psychological imbalance
(shopaholism is one of the signs of hypnotizability).
The art of gypsy hypnosis
is passed down from generation to generation. It is taught both verbally and
empirically. Every gypsy hypnotist is an excellent psychologist who has
developed tactile, visual, auditory, and even olfactory perception through long
practice. Any human movements, even micro-movements, such as blinking or
working facial muscles, say something. And the Gypsies know what they are
talking about.
Divination & Cards
In the Middle Ages, Gypsies
in Europe were considered Egyptians. The word Gitanes itself is derived from
the Egyptian. There were two Egyptians in the Middle Ages – the upper and the
lower. The Gypsies were called so, apparently, by the name of the upper one,
which was located in the Peloponnese, from where they migrated, but belonging
to the cults of Lower Egypt is visible in the life of even modern Gypsies.
Tarot cards, which are
considered to be the last surviving fragment of the cult of the Egyptian god
Thoth, were brought to Europe by the Gypsies. It was not in vain that they were
called “Pharaoh’s tribe”. It was also striking for Europeans that the
Gypsies embalmed their dead and buried them in crypts, where they put
everything necessary for life after death. These funeral traditions are still
alive among the Gypsies today.
The skill of divination on
cards is also passed down from generation to generation. Both on the Tarot and
on the regular ones. Not every gypsy woman can tell fortunes. In large Roma
families, in camps, no more than 5% of girls choose to study. This art cannot
be massive, its secrets are kept, and a good fortune teller in the gypsy
community is worth its weight in gold.
Do not romanticize fortune
tellers, and even more so envy their gift. Taking on this role requires a Roma
woman to have a clear understanding of the enormous burden she places on
herself. In the Middle Ages, gypsies were not treated with much ceremony, while
fortune-tellers were recognized as witches and burned at the stake. The modern
Christian church also has a sharply negative attitude towards gypsy divination
rituals.
Understand the Gypsy
Hello – bakhtales
Hello – DubrIdin
Welcome! “Mishto Yav’yan!”
Happy staying! (to many people) – te yavEn bahtalE!
Happy staying! (to a man) – te yavEs bahtalO!
Good afternoon (everyone) – devEs lachO (sarEnge)
May God punish you! “Te scarIn man devEl!”
A dog won’t bite a dog – jukel jukles na challah
Recumbent Stone – Ashlo Bar
Sings like a bird – bagala cheese chirEkly
Your eyes are like stars – terE yakkhA cheese chirginYa
Gypsy Baron
In the Romani language,
baro means senior. Since the Gypsy society strictly enshrines the right of the
elder, and not the right of the strong, as in many other cultures, the main
person in the camp is the old and wise man. He has a huge responsibility for
the life of everyone in the camp, he is personally responsible for everyone,
resolves disagreements and takes care of the economic prosperity of his
extended family.
According to Roma concepts, a woman should not be above a man.The Roma
have a concept of “filth” associated with the lower part of the body
of a married or just an adult woman. The place over which she passed becomes
“defiled.” Clothing worn by a woman below the waist and shoes are
also considered “defiled.” Therefore, many Gypsies of the world have
a large apron in their national costume, and Gypsies prefer to live in
one-story houses.
The image of the gypsy baron,
which we know from films and TV shows, is more of a negotiator, a person who
represents the camp “face”. He is usually a richly dressed, handsome,
grown-up, bearded, personable man with good communication skills. His task is
purely representative, a real baron prefers not to stand out, although it is on
him that all the threads of camp life converge.
Comments
We went on vacation to Gomel to visit relatives. We are
walking around the city, and two gypsy women are walking in front, snapping
sunflower seeds, sweeping the road with their skirts. A police UAZ is scolding
us, two young men with truncheons jump out of it, without saying a word, one
and the other with truncheons on the hump, by the hair and into the car. We
approached the market, and there was a car, a mobile exchange office. We
decided to get in line, to change the money. Behind us is a young guy with
short hair. Three gypsy women came up to him and… more
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