What is a Gypsy?

Answer

The term “Gypsy” refers to a member of an ethnic group known as the Romani, or Romany. The Romani are descendants of individuals from northern India, who originated there approximately 1,000 years ago. They are connected to the Dom people, who also originated from the same region but later separated from the Romani. The Romani or Gypsies are a nomadic community that has traveled to various regions worldwide, including Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Americas. Presently, the most significant populations of Gypsies can be found in Turkey and Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, such as Spain and southern France. They reside and move around in distinctive wagons.

Gypsies are mainly Roman Catholic, although some follow variations of Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism, or Islam. Gypsies have faith in God, whom they call Del, and Satan, whom they refer to as beng. Traditionally, Gypsy culture is rich in superstitions, maintaining beliefs in charms, amulets, curses, ill fortune, and spirits. Gypsies observe numerous rituals, many of which are aimed at appeasing or warding off spirits in an effort to influence destiny. The Gypsies often blend pagan beliefs with Christian principles. For instance, when a Gypsy passes away, their family seeks forgiveness for any wrongs they may have committed, out of concern that the deceased individual may return to haunt the living. Forgiveness, as stated in the Bible, is a gift granted to the living by God through Christ, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) and is not linked to fear. In reality, those who have received forgiveness through Christ no longer need to fear condemnation (Romans 8:1; 1 John 4:18). The notion of the deceased returning to haunt is based on superstition rather than biblical teachings.Upon the living for not praying for their forgiveness is not a biblical concept at all. Romani or Gypsies also hold beliefs in reincarnation, which is not aligned with Christian doctrine, and they engage in fortune-telling, akin to being a medium or practicing sorcery, activities prohibited in the Bible (Leviticus 20:27;Galatians 5:20).

Gypsy or Romani women are held to stringent standards of purity. Virginity is a prerequisite before marriage, and the lower part of a woman’s body is deemed unclean due to menstruation. Pregnant women are also considered unclean, and if a woman gives birth in her family’s home, she will defile the home. Following childbirth, anything touched by the new mother must be destroyed. This emphasis on external and ceremonial impurity is common in many legalistic religions. The Bible teaches that, due to man’s sin, we are all impure before God (Romans 3:10-11, 23). The solution to our spiritual contamination is not to establish rules for ourselves but to seek the Savior (Romans 7:24-25;1 Corinthians 6:11).