Tag Archives: Traditions

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Cooking Competition

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Cooking Competition

A team from ÁGOTA Community participated in the Kivilágos Kivirradtig Festival cooking competition, showcasing traditional Roma dishes and winning a silver award.

The event highlighted the importance of community and mentorship for young people living in residential homes, with a focus on shared experiences and cultural pride.

The festival served as a platform for young talents, like 18-year-old Nikólasz, who is training to be a chef and actively contributes to the community through cooking.

News Eastern Europe Serbia Slovenia

So Vakeres?

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So Vakeres?

The Romani show “So vakeres – Kaj govoriš?” airs twice a month and is produced by Romani journalists in Serbia.

Approximately 500,000 Roma live unofficially in Serbia, striving for greater equality through various organizations and media.

The international project “Roma Soul Food” preserves Romani memories and stories through culinary traditions, including a cooking competition for traditional Romani dishes, which symbolizes the activation and integration of Roma into society.

News Eastern Europe Romania

Arranged Marriages

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Arranged Marriages

Dorin Cioabă, a representative of the Roma community, expressed outrage over a new Romanian law that could imprison parents who arrange marriages for minors.

He argues that the law fails to distinguish between forced marriages and consensual relationships among adolescents, which could lead to unnecessary legal consequences.

The law, recently passed by the Romanian Parliament, imposes prison sentences of 2 to 7 years for forced marriages involving minors under 16, aiming to protect young individuals from coercion.

Greece News Western Europe

Early Marriages

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Early Marriages

Rena Dourou, head of SYRIZA-PS, labeled early marriages among Roma women as a form of gender-based violence during a presentation of a European project aimed at addressing this issue.

She emphasized the dual struggle for bodily autonomy and a dignified life faced by young Roma women, criticizing the societal acceptance of early marriages as a taboo that hinders their dreams.

Dourou highlighted the importance of local government in combating exclusion and mentioned the initiatives taken by the Attica region against anti-Roma sentiment, while honoring the late Deputy Regional Governor for his contributions to Roma solidarity.

News Eastern Europe Romania

Blacksmith

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Blacksmith

La Bârca is home to a vibrant Roma community, with nea Ilie, a blacksmith, being a prominent figure.

Nea Ilie is recognized as the best blacksmith in Oltenia.

The story of the blacksmith from Bârca will be featured on TVR Craiova.

https://youtu.be/yg16-xRlFAA

News Eastern Europe Romania

Forced Mariage

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Forced Mariage

The Romanian House of Representatives approved a bill to criminalize forced marriage, with specific penalties for cases involving minors and a media campaign to raise awareness.

The Roma community has expressed concerns that the law threatens their traditions and identity, while advocacy groups for Roma women support the initiative as a step towards protecting children from abuse.

The bill aims to shift societal perceptions of forced marriage from a private issue to a public concern, emphasizing that marriage should only occur with free consent.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Burial Customs

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Burial Customs

The event “I Will Meet You with God, My Brother” showcased Roma burial customs, featuring a presentation by teacher and Romni Nikoletta Nagy on the significance of mourning rituals in the Roma community.

Nagy emphasized the importance of understanding these traditions, which reflect deep community ties and the role of family, faith, and memory in honoring the deceased.

The presentation highlighted that Roma funeral practices are not merely extravagant but are rooted in community identity and shared experiences of grief and remembrance.

Serbia

Mythology …

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Mythology …

According to the article, in Romani culture, women’s skirts held significant power, capable of shaming men for life with just a touch, rooted in complex ideas of purity and impurity. So far so good.

The article continues by stating that female infidelity was punishable by death, while male infidelity faced milder consequences, leading women to use the ‘impurity’ of their skirts as a means of revenge against unfaithful husbands. This is total nonsense. No death penalties are ever recorded in traxditional tribunals (except in a few cases for collaborators after the war.

The next statement is also a misinterpretation. The tradition of using skirts as a form of punishment highlights a paradox where women, despite being seen as ritually impure, wielded a powerful tool against male infidelity, reflecting resilience within patriarchal constraints. Women are not ritually impure, only during menses. And this has nothing to do on male infidelity …

Italy News Western Europe

Corsa degli Zingari

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Corsa degli Zingari

The ‘Corsa degli Zingari’ is an ancient tradition in Abruzzo, characterized by elements of faith, devotion, and competition, officially presented for the 2026 edition scheduled for September 6 in Pacentro.

The event, dedicated to the worship of the Madonna di Loreto, attracts many participants who run barefoot through challenging terrain, showcasing the blend of sacred and profane elements in the culture.

Local officials emphasize the event’s growing international recognition and its role in promoting tourism and cultural heritage in the region.

Bulgaria Montenegro News Eastern Europe

Arranged Marriages

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Arranged Marriages

An article on the still existing practice of arranges marrianges among Roma in Montenegro. Apparently, 17 cases of human trafficking were recorded in this context between 2020 and 2026 by the police.

The tradition of paying for the bride only exists among Vlach Roma and is probably due to the prevalence of slavery agianst Roma in Romanian lands. The owner of the bride had to be compensated.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia and Child Marriage

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Serbia and Child Marriage

A round table presented the results of the analysis of the project “Roma Women’s Activism in the Protection of Roma Girls from Violence Caused by Child Marriages”, which aims to reduce the rate of child marriages among the Roma population, and the 10 cities covered by the project, including Vranje, which has the highest rate of child marriages.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Clothing

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Clothing

An article about Roma cloting in the Polish press.

Classic ethnographic studies emphasize that clothing in Romani communities served a social and symbolic function.

Ethnographer Lech Mróz, author of, among others, The publication “Gypsies: Diversity and Intolerance” pointed out that dress was one of the most visible signs of cultural distinctiveness and an element in maintaining intergroup boundaries. However, it was not immutable – it evolved along with living conditions.

For women, traditional clothing – long, full skirts, covered shoulders, and expressive jewelry – was associated not only with aesthetics but also with social norms, including the rules of ritual purity (marime), present in some Romani groups.

There is no single “Roma costume”.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Halgata

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Halgata

Long and sad Roma songs that sing about losses, poverty and injustices – the so-called halgáta. This musical tradition, which is passed down from generation to generation among the Roma, could gain official recognition. Dozens of people, including researchers and members of the Roma community, are trying to register halgáta on the national cultural heritage list.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Halgato

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Halgato

The specific Romani musical genre halgató, characterized by long and sad songs, could receive official recognition and be included on the list of intangible cultural heritage. Now, the bearers of the tradition are striving for this together with experts, according to whom it is an important living part of the Roma identity, which is passed down between generations, and should also have its place on the UNESCO list.

News Eastern Europe Poland

All Saints Day in Poland

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All Saints Day in Poland

A Polish article on all saints day customs among Polish Roma. Roma celebrate All Saints’ Day differently from Poles, focusing mainly on gatherings at gravesides. “We drink, play music, sing, talk, and tell stories about our deceased loved ones,” Bogdan Trojanek, a Roma singer, leader, and founder of the band Terne Roma told journalists.

Italy News Western Europe

Dolores Dori

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Dolores Dori

Dolores Dori, a 44 year old Sintica/Romni who was killed in a feud in Lonato del Garda, Brescia is the subject of numerous articles in the Italian press. He mother and her son were apparently arrested. At the core of the story is the daughter who eloped with a boy from the Roma camp in which Dolores was killed.

Italy News Western Europe

Italy: Feud

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Italy: Feud

A feud between Roma resulted in the killing of a 44 year old woman. According to the latest reports, she arrived to collect her daughter, who had moved to the camp against her parents’ wishes. The woman is said to have been having an affair with a boy from the camp, but, according to Brescia Today, she has already been promised in marriage to another man.

She was later shot and wounded and died in a hospital where she was found at the entrance of the emergency room.

Bad.

Austria News Western Europe

Early Weddings, Virginity, and Stereotypes

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Early Weddings, Virginity, and Stereotypes

A scandal currently seems to be on the front pages of several Austrian newspapers. The case of a wedding of 12 years old who, according to the press was no longer a virgin.

As usual, this is being described as common practice among all Roma. This is not the case, and concerns mostly a minority of all Roma communities.

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Lovara in Croatia

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Lovara in Croatia

In the village of Maglenča in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Lovari, with the Roma House cultural and tourist centre, preserves its rich history, customs, and cultural heritage, thereby contributing to breaking down prejudices and promoting understanding in society. Under the leadership of the Đurđević family, they offer visitors authentic experiences – from traditional food, lavender products, cultural presentations to inspiring stories about freedom, inclusion, and coexistence.

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