Yet Another Video!

Hey guys! I found yet ANOTHER video about the gypsy lifestyle!

This video is about the traditions of the travelers who are more like Roxy (see post below). This documentary, Grai, is about a gypsy family, and we see that they don't really have lifestyles that are as extravagant and "outlandish."

What do you think? Could you live in the gypsy lifestyle?

New Video!!

Of course, there are some girls who live with these traditions:Watch this video to see more!

A lot of gypsy girls hate it when people from their own culture follow these particular traditions because "outsiders" think that the traditions we see on television is what the whole gypsy culture is about! Some travelers do follow the traditions shown in the video, but most of them try to abstain from these extravagant wedding traditions.

What do you think of these traditions? Do you think gypsies are more like Roxy (see post below) or are they more extravagant?

Gypsy Life...Not What You Think

The other day, I read an extremely interesting article about a girl named Roxy, who lived her life in the gypsy culture. 

No, she did not wear puffy dresses that couldn't fit through doorways, she didn't go shopping every day, and she wasn't searching for a husband at age 13, though that may be the case for some other gypsy girls.

Instead, Roxy worked in the fields all day and never spent a second indoors. Instead of learning multiplication times tables, she learned about nature and more importantly, how to survive with nothing. I was extremely impressed; this girl could most likely live through any tough situation thrown at her while some people in our society don't even know how to do their own laundry! Her own mother taught her how to read and by the time she was a preteen, she was reading literature pieces by F. Scott Fitzgerald while some people don't even know who that is! 

After I read this article, I thought about the society that we live in; we have outstanding resources when we're in Pre-k (smart-boards anyone?) while Roxy enrolled in a school for the first time in her life when she was twenty two. 

Another interesting fact that I found out was that her family taught her about art and that she had a passion in flamenco dancing. She worked hard at her dream and now travels around the world being a flamenco dancer. It's interesting because she didn't let her gypsy lifestyle get in her way of success. She could have easily given up and said that she won't succeed because of her limitations and all of the taunting, but instead it made her work harder. It's rare to hear about a gypsy like this instead of hearing about their horse and carriages.   

What do you think about this lifestyle? Is it what you expected?

An Introduction for My Readers

Gypsy: a member of a traveling people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and traditionally live by seasonal work, itinerant trade, and fortune-telling. Gypsies are now found mostly in Europe, parts of North Africa, and North America, but are believed to have originated in South Asia.

That my fellow readers, is a  definition of a gypsy from the Oxford Dictionary. Some of you may know about the show, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, which is a show all about the traditions of a gypsy wedding, birthday or sometimes even a prom.  While some of their customs seem extreme, I'm interested in finding out if their customs are just versions of the customs of other groups. Their way of life seems to be unique as well. Why must they travel all the time? As a group, why do they prefer to stick together?

For example, how many of you took a horse and carriage to prom this year?

Are you planning on it?

Not all gypsies are the same, but they all do have their own traditions. What are these traditions? What are the origins of these traditions?

Have you ever experienced any traditional gypsy events?