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

  • July 26, 2026
    Al the articles this week on Roma in France focused on two fires in two Roma camps in Nantes and...
  • Death after Arrest
    July 26, 2026
    On July 8 in Százhalombatta, Hungary, police intervened with a driver who was behaving erratically and resisted arrest, leading to...
  • Baro Bjav
    July 26, 2026
    The Bulgarian pop-folk star Boni has released a new project titled "Big Wedding," showcasing the traditions and culture of the...
  • Mobilisation in Zakarpattia
    July 25, 2026
    According to local reports, on July 23, a violent mobilisation action took place in Nagylucska, near Mukachevo, in Zakarpattia (Transcarpathian...
  • Unemployment in Romania
    July 25, 2026
    In the first months of the year, 44 Roma were employed through the National Agency for Employment (ANOFM), highlighting the...
  • Serbia and Roma Voters
    July 25, 2026
    Serbian opposition figure Božo Drašković made derogatory comments about Roma in Serbia, accusing them of being corrupt and selling their...
  • Rudolf Huliak
    July 25, 2026
    Minister of Tourism and Sports Rudolf Huliak has been advocating for the employment of Roma in Slovakia instead of accepting...
  • Slovenia and the Holocaust
    July 25, 2026
    The article discusses the violent actions of communist partisans in Sodražica during May 1942, including the murder of 16 Roma...
  • Police and Roma
    July 24, 2026
    Hungarian Roma advocacy leaders emphasized that no lawful police action should result in severe injury or death, following the death...
  • Harri Stojka
    July 24, 2026
    Harri Stojka, born on July 22, 1957, in Vienna, is a prominent Austrian jazz guitarist known for blending jazz, blues,...
  • Ostrava Protest
    July 24, 2026
    Police in Ostrava-Vítkovice have initiated criminal proceedings against seven individuals aged 18 to 38 for public disorder. The incident occurred on...
  • Stara Zagora
    July 24, 2026
    Marin Tihomirov, a member of the Bulgarian parliament, called for assistance from relevant institutions regarding the demolition of Roma homes...
  • Rape and Minorities
    July 23, 2026
    Survivors of wartime sexual violence in Kosovo were officially recognized in 2018, significantly later than other war victim categories, following...
  • Education in Moldova
    July 23, 2026
    A meeting organized by the Ministry of Education and Research focused on developing services for Roma communities through community mediators,...
  • High School in Romania
    July 23, 2026
    The admission process for high schools in Constanța for 2026 shows significant differences in average grades between general placements and...
  • Olivera Katalina
    July 23, 2026
    Olivera Katarina, a versatile performer known for her work in film and music, passed away on July 21, 2026, at...
  • Social Integration
    July 23, 2026
    The Greek Central Macedonia Region is implementing a targeted social integration program for vulnerable groups, allocating 3 million euros through...
  • Stabbed
    July 23, 2026
    A demonstration occurred in Ostrava (Czechia) following the stabbing of a local Roma man, which was linked to provocative social...
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