How the Gypsies are Buried: The Burial Practices of the Roma

Gypsies are the largest ethnic minority in Europe with predominantly Indian roots. These people's groups live among the population of different countries and are divided into six large branches, which have their own name.

For this reason, the influence of European states on the cultural characteristics of each of them was not without effect. However, in the religion and customs of the Roma there are still common features that unite the ethnos. This is especially true of the funeral traditions known for their scope, why the answer to the question "how to bury the Gypsies of their departed" is of keen interest to many.

Law and Culture

The cultural customs of some Romani tribes often lead to disagreements with the laws in the territory where the camp is roaming or living. This is due to strict taboos to damage the integrity of the deceased's body, and the roots of such a ban should be sought in magical beliefs.

Russian, Baltic and Scandinavian representatives of this ethnos hold the opinion that a person is not able to find peace without such internal organs as the brain and heart, therefore they are against the forensic medical examination.

This position compels to receive a death certificate, bypassing law enforcement agencies. If the case takes too serious a turn, the gypsy baron is solving the problem. In this case, if the latter finds the disputes with the law useless, the deceased will go to the FMS, but with the condition: after examination, the internal organs must be returned to the body of the deceased.

Gypsy customs and traditions

There is an opinion that only three branches of this ethnic group are allowed to arrange a luxurious funeral. However, isolated cases allow exceptions, depending on the traditions that have been formed in a separate camp or community. Of the established, there are only two: persistent aversion to death and the erection of some cult of the deceased.

The gypsy funerals of the Baltic, Russian and Scandinavian tribes last for 2-3 days, accompanied by "songs and dances". Such unusual customs are explained by the Roma beliefs: it is believed that with the death of the physical body a person becomes free from all worldly problems and sorrows, passing into a better world devoid of suffering.

In this case, a person dying from a disease is never left alone. In nomadic tribes, he moves to a special tent - "bender", where with him to the last remain close. At the same time until the moment of death, relatives should behave as usual: eat, drink, laugh and even sing.

No gypsy will ever allow himself to die in a common tent or house, because by his death he will make this place dirty, unfit for further living. Because of this, the personal belongings of the deceased, also soiled with filth, were previously distributed to the poor by the churches, and in recent decades they have been buried underground with the deceased, placing them as if in a room.

In a word, just as the gypsies are buried, today nobody does it. For example, instead of praying over the deceased, conspiracies are read and, if possible, they lower the body into a grave without a coffin.

Preparing for funerals

Some branches of the Roma are noteworthy for early preparation for burial: it is expressed in the creation of savings from childhood, to later be able to secure a decent funeral. For example, there is often a preliminary purchase of a place in the cemetery where the Gypsies are buried.

In the rest, the process of preparing the body for burial depends on the religion of the tribe itself. Funeral rites of Orthodox Roma mostly consist of observing Christian traditions: the body is also washed and mourned, the only difference being that herbal decoctions are used for washing, and prayers are replaced by conspiracies.

In France, it is commonly believed that the soul of a dying person is able to relocate if a "vessel" is provided to her. Therefore, at the time of death, a bird was brought to the person's mouth, which was then released to freedom.

How the Gypsies are Buried

In many regions, the funeral of the Roma is lavish, especially if the Gypsy Baron dies . In Moldova in 1998, local bulibashi were sold out only on day 14, so that all who wanted to say goodbye to him could arrive, in parallel with this, building a richly decorated crypt with special niches. They are needed in order to place along with the deceased objects of his life and his favorite alcohol.

In this funeral of Russian, Baltic and Scandinavian branches of the Roma are similar. They differ only in the general scope, depending on the status of the deceased, and the number of days allocated for training.

Gypsy graves

So, we have already practically considered the question of how the Gypsies of their deceased are buried. Note also that the process largely depends on the burial place.

Nomadic tribes do not have the means to purchase a place in the cemetery, because they who departed into the world of another betray the earth in a deserted, unlikely place, like a forest thicket or steppe under a blackberry bush. According to legend, this plant protects the grave from desecrating animals. The things of the deceased are often simply burnt.

Other sedentary representatives of the ethnos bury their loved ones, like everyone else: in cemeteries. Large Roma settlements have their own graveyard on the land they bought.

Conclusion

In order to confidently assert the funeral customs of the Gypsies, one should personally attend the funeral or be included in the camp. This is explained by the fact that Roma guard their traditions with special care, therefore much that is known to date is a rumor or a story of witnesses.

Moreover, even those customs whose meaning is forgotten by the Roma are not allowed. Perhaps the reason for this is the rigorous execution of all the required rituals associated with death and funerals.