In the XIV-XV centuries. in Europe, a nomadic people appeared, known as gypsies, whose origin, life and language remained a mystery for a long time. Their ancestors did not leave behind a written history, so a variety of theories arose about the origin of the people. It is as if doomed to eternal wanderings and has its own special civilization.
Gypsies are scattered all over the world. They can be found on any continent, but nowhere do they mix with other peoples. Even the number of gypsies could not always be established in certain countries. They often tried to explain the origin of the gypsies with absurd theories, looking at their ancestry from the ancient Egyptians, German Jews, even mentioning the inhabitants of the legendary Atlantis.
The emergence of a host of other theories was born from the lack of development of complex issues of ethnography and history of Europe's largest national minority group, which was the gypsies. Origin of the peoplereduced to three main versions. The theory of Asian roots was supported by Henri de Spond, who associated the gypsies with the medieval Attingan sect. Many scholars associated this people with the Siggin tribe of the Near East, mentioned by the ancient authors Strabo, Herodotus and others. The Egyptian origin theory was one of the earliest, dating back to the 15th century. Moreover, the first gypsies who arrived in Europe themselves spread these legends. This version was supported by English scientists, who claimed that the gypsies, on their way to Europe, visited the country of the pyramids, where they acquired their unlimited knowledge and skills in the field of sleight of hand, divination and astrology.
The theory of Indian origin originated in the 18th century. The basis for this version was the similarity of the language of India with the language spoken by the gypsies. According to this version, the origin of the people is now practically generally accepted. The question of the localization of the ancestors of the Gypsies in India and the exact time of their exit from the country remains difficult.
The ambiguity of the origin of this people has always been intertwined with the definition of the very concept of "Gypsies", the origin of this name was often considered not as an ethnic, but as a social phenomenon. In various sources, the name "gypsies" is applied to social groups leading a wandering lifestyle, which are characterized by similar features of material culture and specific methods of earning a living, such as fortune-telling, small crafts, songs and dances, begging and others.
Indeed,Gypsies, mosaically settled throughout the world, are heterogeneous in composition, and it is not always easy to understand how great the differences are between them. They are divided into a number of ethnic groups, which are distinguished by occupation, dialects and other local ethno-cultural characteristics. Their traditional wandering cannot be seen as a kind of romantic wanderlust or chaotic aimless wanderings. The way of life of the people was based on economic reasons. It was necessary to constantly look for markets for the products of the tabor artisans, a new audience for their performances.
Ethnocultural contacts of a certain group of gypsies with the surrounding population led to a number of borrowings. An interesting fact is that the gypsies were in no hurry to leave the inhabited territories, even when they got into rather unfavorable conditions. It is known that in many countries they were subjected to severe persecution. Nevertheless, even in the very epicenter of organized violence, entire ethnic groups appeared that managed to survive. It's Calais in Spain, Sinti in Germany, Travelers in England.
While in the Catholic West the emergence of gypsies led to the adoption of laws for their expulsion, in Byzantium no such law was passed. Craftsmen, metalworkers, people in charge of the occult sciences, and animal trainers were highly valued here.
In Russia, the emergence of new ethnic groups of gypsies was associated with the expansion of the territory. In 1783, according to the decree of Catherine II, the gypsies of Russia were included in the peasant class, from themit was prescribed to levy appropriate taxes and taxes. At will, they were also allowed to attribute themselves to other classes, except for the nobility. So, by the end of the 19th century, there were many Russian gypsies among the merchant and petty-bourgeois classes.
In the 19th century in Russia, there was a steady process of gypsy integration, their settling in permanent places, which was explained by the improvement in the financial well-being of their families. Natural artistry, which absorbed a lot from the cultures of different countries, attracted genuine attention to this people. Russian romances performed by gypsies acquired a different color. A genre of gypsy romance appeared, founded by Russian composers and poets who were passionate about this culture. A layer of professional artists began to appear.
