"Romany culture and civilisation" by Mihai Merfea

Roumanian language please!

PRESENTATION

ROMANY CULTURE AND CIVILISATION

   Romany culture and civilisation represents one of the most controversial chapter subjects concerning the Romany population. The work has two parts (Part I: Concerning the Romany culture, Part II: Romany Civilization) and is a sociological research.

   The research area covers the north-west area of India: Punjab and Rajastan; Central Eastern European Countries such as: Russia, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and the former Yugoslavia). At the same time there is information from other European countries: Spain, France, Germany and England. The author starts from the premise that each nationality, and nation proves its identity through its culture as an ensemble of practices and social behaviors which are processed and renewed by every generation: the language, creeds, religions, mythological traditions and handicrafts. The Romany culture has been built on the scientific and philosophical bases of their ancestors: Veda, Vasesika, Mohabharata,Panciutantra well as on social and natural sciences. In their migrations from the Orient o West, the Romany population either has enriched its culture by some elements from the crossed areas (accumulation) or has made it poorer by other elements. Despite sedentariness assimilation and the ban of learning their mother tongue and the practice of their traditions and customs, the Romany population has kept all of these elements of their culture. The popular culture of different types such as: fairy-tales, Christmas carols, legends, riddles, exorcisms is a proof that the Romany population has its own culture that tries to keep carefully and to add it new elements.

   Another chapter presents the Romany population as an inspirational source for writers such as Romanian and foreign writers: Ion Budai Deleanu Nicolae Balcescu, Mihai Eminescu, Ion Luca Caragiale, Cervantes, Victor Hugo, Merime, Federico Garcia Lorca, painters: Nicolae Grigorescu, Theodor Aman, Arthur Verona and composers: Bizet and Ion Voicu.

  The second part of the work “Romany Civilization" presents the skills and the professions of the Romany population. An important part represents their social integration as a way of active participation within the civil society and not assimilation. In this respect there is presented data obtained through empirical sociological investigations made in Punjab and in Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Germany, England etc.

   Other elements of Romany civilization are presented: their religion, their nomadic and sedentary family, the biths the marriages and the funerals. The traditional and new social organization is presented through the role of the formal and informal leaders: judges, cnezi, bulibasa, kings and emperors. Krisul Romalo as a courthouse is analyzed through . the values which are used in order to promote the peace inside and outside the microcommunity.

   Tarot is presented as a playing card of Romany origin: Romany tribes from India practiced this black magic. For defining the tarot other hypotheses have been taken

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