Roma, their History, Culture, Traditions, and News

  • The Roma
    The Roma
    Roma are variously known as Rroma, Gypsies, Tsiganes, Tsigan, Gitanos or Gitans, as well as Sinti, Cale, and many other names. They are Europeans, having arrived...
  • History
    History
    Apart from the non-controversial fact that Roma come from India, the rest of the Roma early history is a subject of controversy. When did Roma...
  • Language
    Language
    Roma have an Indian based language, a discovery of 1753.  Romanes, or Romani Čhib, is the language of the Roma. This fact is little known...
  • Traditions
    Traditions
    The Roma culture is not a written one and has kept its unity and consistency in spite of savage assaults. Traditions were one of the...
  • Music
    Music
    What is Roma music? What is Roma music? This seemingly innocuous question has fed quite an industry. From the 18th century onward, musicians, scientist have...
  • Reports
    Reports
    All reports presented here are strictly copyrighted to the Rroma Foundation Zürich. These reports were compiled by our staff while on surveys in various countries.
  • Questions & Answers
    Questions & Answers
    When hearing about Roma, when reading about them, a wealth of clichés, generally accepted “truths” and statements are always present. This summary presents the most...
  • Galleries
    Galleries
    These galleries are either the work of amateurs, documenting the situation in a specific region at a specific time (for example in Bosnia in 2001,...
  • Literature
    Literature
    Various informations and references on Rroma and on this site.

Who are Roma? Where do they come from? What is the difference between Roma, Sinti, Gypsies, Cale, Tsiganes, Zigeuner, Travellers? Do they have a language? Where do they come from? How many are there in Europe? What are their traditions?

These and many more questions are treated at length in these pages on Roma, history, language, traditions, music, but also in shorter form in the questions and answers page.

The page also has resources on literature, reports and many more items.

Recent News on Roma

  • Brawl in Bulgaria
    July 6, 2026
    Many articles in the Bulgarian press about a fight between two Roma families in a Roma neighbourhood of Asenovgrad which...
  • Prejudice in Serbia
    July 6, 2026
    Zlata Petrović, a Serbian singer, openly discussed her Romani heritage and how she concealed it from her son until he...
  • War and Roma
    July 6, 2026
    The article discusses the impact of war on the Roma community in Munkács, Ukraine, highlighting how traditional gender roles have...
  • Education in Slovenia
    July 6, 2026
    Borut Rončević, a sociology professor at the university of Novo Mesto and current minister of Eudcation in the Slovenian government,...
  • Action Plan Serbia
    July 5, 2026
    The Serbian government has established a Coordination Body to monitor the implementation of the Action Plan for minority rights for...
  • Action Plan Montenegro
    July 5, 2026
    The Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy to improve the quality of life for Roma and Egyptians in...
  • Artur Cerari
    July 5, 2026
    Artur Cerari, the leader of the Roma community in Soroca, Moldova, passed away on July 4, 2026, at the age...
  • Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya
    July 5, 2026
    Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya, a renowned People's Artist of Russia, passed away in Moscow at the age of 83, as reported by...
  • French Chronicle ...
    July 5, 2026
    Many articles this week on the closure of what was deemed the largest Roma camp near Paris, in Stains. Out...
  • Hungarian Speakers in Slovakia
    July 4, 2026
    The Slovak Hungarian Educational Atlas presents statistical data from 2010 to 2024, highlighting demographic changes and the role of Hungarian-speaking...
  • Roma in Romania
    July 4, 2026
    This Hungarian article discusses the challenges faced by the Roma community in Romania, highlighting the negative connotations associated with the...
  • Travellers
    July 4, 2026
    In Graubünden, there is a shortage of designated parking spaces for the Jenische and Sinti communities, despite legal obligations for...
  • Remember
    July 4, 2026
    The Karlsruhe city council has named a square near Kapellenstraße as Familie-Reinhardt-Platz to honor the Sinti and Roma victims of...
  • Bulgaria and Begging
    July 4, 2026
    Plovdiv influencer Tihomov surprised his followers with an emotional video featuring two Roma children who often beg in the city....
  • Djelem Djelem Festival
    July 3, 2026
    The 13th Djelem Djelem Arts and Culture Festival in Dortmund features the Roma Ball concert, celebrating the 10th anniversary of...
  • Austria and Racism
    July 3, 2026
    The UN special rapporteur on racism, Ashwini K.P., reports that far-right ideologies have entered the mainstream in Austria, highlighting an...
  • Legal Aid
    July 3, 2026
    The Hungarian National Roma Self-Government (MROÖ) has launched a legal aid and information network to support Roma communities, with initial...
  • Integration?
    July 3, 2026
    A new initiative in Patras aims to support and integrate Roma communities through the establishment of a 'Roma Neighborhood Center'...
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