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from their country. Any men caught were beaten and women sent to workhouses. Similar treatment was meted out to the Roma in England, where they were put to death if caught. Slavery was a way of dealing with the "problem" in other countries. The Nazis targeted Roma people for extermination, along with the Jews during WW2, when it is estimated that more than 5 million Roma were tortured and tattooed while half a million were killed.

Why the name "gypsy"? Because they came into Europe from the east, the dark-skinned Roma were thought to have come from Egypt. The word "Egyptian" was easily transformed into "gypsy" and the title has stayed with them, in English speaking countries. They are also often called "Romanies" and they must be distinguished from the "New Age Travellers" who lead a gypsy-like existence, but earn themselves a bad reputation for feckless living.

You can still see Roma people all over Europe, though nowadays more likely to be living in modern trailers. They are less nomadic than they used to be and, in most countries, their children have to go to school. The different groups lack a unified culture; but certain traits are common to them, one of which is a deep belief in predestination - persisting possibly from their Indian origins.They still arouse resentment and mistrust in mainstream society; they are still discriminated against for preferring a different way of life and they remain a socially-excluded minority.

Ref. The Patrin Web Journal

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