(OOC Info - Read me First!)

As part of The ABC Challenge in the Rhydin Polyvore Group, I have (somewhat foolishly) ambitiously decided to do the ABCs of Gypsies.

Some days will cover things that are specific to the Barlow Caravan and its members (from Grace's point of view, obvs. If you don't want me to do your character, tell me now!) Other days, inspired partly by the Temple SL spearheaded by Jewell Ravenlock, (which I have already introduced Grace's involvement in here) I will highlight facets of real life Roma culture and history to the best of my ability.

Inevitably necessary disclaimer:
This is, ultimately, purely fictional and intended for entertainment purposes, only. I'm doing my best to research and highlight factual, unbiased information that I have found in pursuit of developing and playing this character accurately, and to the extent that I get it wrong, no offense, misrepresentation or disrespect is intended.

B is for Barlow

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B is for Barlow, the Barlow Caravan. Without family, you have nothing.

B is for Boxing


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B is also for Boxing. I already did B, obviously, but boxing is too important not to also cover.

"Fighting Solves Everything"

Bare-knuckle boxing is an enormous part of Roma culture, and 'gypsy' fighting legends have been prominent among champions of the sport through out history. Famously portrayed by Brad Pitt in Snatch, real life boxing stars with Roma roots include Tyson Fury, Bartley Gorman and Johan "Rukeli" Trollman, just to name a few.

Resources! (and lo, there are many)
Tyson Fury talks about being King of Gypsies and Gypsy culture (seriously - watch the video, at least from ~4:00 - 10:00)
Story of Rukeli Trollman, who once showed up to an arranged fight with a Nazi having dyed his hair blond and covered himself in flour (translation on this is bad but you can get a sense of the story)
Bartley Gorman
Important facets of gypsy culture as excerpted from a book by Mikey Walsh
This is a book review, but lots of good info
Slightly sensationalized but not entirely inaccurate story
Travellers and boxing

B is for Billie, B is for Babies

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B is for Billie

Mark's little sister, she was the clear favorite of the two Barlow children growing up. Leading a very sheltered life up until relatively recently, Billie's had a hard time adjusting to the outside world.

(SN: Billie Barlow)

B is for Babies

Having children is an important part of Roma culture. It?s a special event for the family because it continues the family line and brings respect to the family. It?s also what gives a young wife some level of authority within her household. Large families are common among the Romani, though of course not all Roma have several children.

Certain customs and traditions are to be observed when a mother is expecting. Although they vary in practice from tribe to tribe, all have their roots in the concept of marim?, or impurity, and are considered essential to having a healthy baby.

In the strictest sense, ?The pregnancy signals a change in her status among the group. Pregnancy means that the woman is "impure" and must be isolated as much as possible from the community. She is cared for only by other women in the community. Though she continues to live at home, her husband can spend only short periods of time with her during the pregnancy. It is frequently his job to take over the domestic duties when she is unable to handle them.? (1)

Some customs and rites (1):

Traditionally, the birth cannot take place in the family's usual home, whether it be a tent, trailer, or house because it would then become "impure." Because of this, an increasing number of Roma women have preferred to leave their encampments and homes to give birth in a hospital, in spite of their disdain for non-Roma ways. It is not because they think they will receive better care, but because in that way they will not soil their own homes. If the delivery takes place outside a hospital, only specially appointed midwives, or possibly other women who have experienced maternity, are allowed to assist with the birth.

There are any number of rites that might precede the actual birth. One rite among some tribes involves the untying of certain knots, so that the umbilical cord will not be knotted. Sometimes all the knots in the expectant mother's clothing will be undone or cut. At other times, the expectant mother's hair will be loosened if it has been pinned or tied with a ribbon.

A new mother is allowed to touch only essential objects during what amounts to a quarantine. The objects she does touch, such as cooking and eating utensils or sheets, become impure and must be later destroyed. Though all this generally ends with the baby's baptism, certain tribes are unusually cautious. For these tribes, it is two or three months before the new mother will be able to approach her husband or perform household duties without the use of gloves.

There are also rituals that require the formal ?recognition? of the baby by his or her father. They can include (1):

-Placing a few drops of the father?s blood on the baby?s swaddling wraps
-Covering the baby in clothes that belong to the father
-Having the mother place the infant on the ground. The father then picks the baby up and in some cases ties a red string around his or her neck, acknowledging that the baby is his

These strict rules and observations, including limiting the mother?s contact with the rest of the community and even restricting the father?s movements from sunset to sunrise to ward off evil spirits that may attack the baby (1), often continue until the baby?s baptism, which can happen anywhere from two-three weeks after birth to two - three months. Until the baptism occurs, it is commonly held that the baby?s name cannot be said out loud, no pictures can be taken of the infant, and in some cases the baby?s face can?t even be shown in public.

In this sense, baptism mostly refers to ?purification? by water: ?most frequently practiced by washing it in running water, an act that is separate from any subsequent baptism. After washing, the child might be massaged with oil in order to strengthen it. In some cases, amulets or talismans are used to protect the baby from evil spirits.? (1)

Once ?purified?, the baby formally ?becomes? recognized as human and can be called by his or her name. This name is one of three that most Roma are commonly assigned:

?The first name given remains forever a secret. Tradition has it that this name is whispered by the mother, the only one who knows it at the time of birth, and it is never used. The purpose of this secret name is to confuse the supernatural spirits by keeping the real identity of the child from them. The second name is a Roma name, the one used among the Roma themselves. It is conferred informally and used only among Roma. The third name is given at a second baptism that takes place according to the dominant religion of the country in which the child is born. It has little importance for the Roma and it is only a practical necessity, to be used for dealing with non-Roma.? (1)

Resources!
(1) I quoted a lot of this
so much information here
this is mostly about adoption

D is for Dave

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David Evans: street performer, pick pocket, gun runner. Sent among the Barlows to gather information, Dave spent months away from the MacIntosh clan and Mac himself. His cover blown, he returned home to Mac's side, only to find the Barlow spy in his spot. A botched kidnapping attempt put Dave in an impossible position - betray the man he loved in secret - his lover of more than two years - or watch him die. To save his boyfriend's life he chose betrayal, but a cruel twist of fate saw the man shot down anyway.

With nothing left and nowhere to go, he's uneasily joined the angry, untrusting Barlow crew under Quinn's watchful supervision. Overwhelmed by grief, he's struggling to live among them, struggling to find his way.

(SN: David Evans)

D is for Dance

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Music and dancing are some of the primary ways that the strong cultural heritage of the Roma people are expressed. Both are said to have their roots in India, where it is believed that the Roma people originated, but the styles have evolved to include influences from every part of the world where gypsies have dwelled.

There is no one formal, cohesive type of ?Gypsy Dance,? although Flamenco, Bellydancing and the ?Serpent? Dance are all considered to have either been created or heavily influenced by the Romani. While the many styles of dancing are varied from region to region, there are some common threads among them - improvisation, playful, witty movements, a tendency towards joy and utmost passion, and often, a way of expressing frustration and anger under constant persecution. ?Gypsies are much more outgoing and aggressive in their dances than a typical woman would be,? one source claims. ?In Gypsy styles of dance you can be more aggressive. You have permission because you are playing a character.? (2)

Whether hired to perform for weddings, festivals and parties, or making spare change from street performance, dancing has historically been one of the only avenues to income available to the Roma people, and in particular Roma women. They classically do not teach their style of dancing to non-Roma, however, so much of what is seen as ?gypsy dancing? - especially in the US, according to some sources (1) - bears almost no resemblance to the authentic styles. Tambourines, for example. Typically only men play musical instruments, and while it is certainly possible to play one while also dancing, it isn?t something that is usually done.

Dancing remains an important part of any gypsy celebration -- weddings, birthday parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and family gatherings will nearly always include a dance.

Resources! (So many)
(1) Start here (this is a fascinating article on the definition of ?gypsy dance? and how it is misrepresented, particularly in America)
(2) I directly quoted this article above
http://english.svenko.net/dance/
check this out to learn about bear dancing
I used some images from here
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/04/15/gypsy -soul
http://userpages.umbc.edu/~vikh1/388/project3/gyps ydance.html
http://worldartswest.org/main/discipline.asp?i=57

F is for Family

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The Romani place extremely high value on family, both immediate and extended. When a woman marries, she joins her husband?s family, sometimes even living with her in-laws. Families live and travel in groups, sharing campgrounds, resting sites and living quarters. They share resources among them, dividing the obligations of work, food preparation and childcare between them. A ?typical family unit will include the head of the household and his wife, their married sons and daughters-in-law with their children, as well as unmarried sons and daughters, and occasionally divorced or widowed daughters who return to the parental household.?(1)

Beyond the immediate blood relations, many Roma also identify with a specific ?nation? or sub-ethnic group. Members of the same nation tend to travel and intermarry with other members of the same nation. They tend to observe rites of passage in the same or similar ways, including births, weddings, funerals and other celebration days. Values, traditions, moral codes and styles of dress can often be similar among members of the same nation, including their views on leadership style and conflict resolution. (1)

The family unit is typically insular, every need historically met within its confines. While largely independent from the majority societies they inhabit, the members of the family are often dependent on one another, relying on the family for everything from food to socialization, education, and protection. (2)

?The extended family looked after everyone socially (no one lived alone and everyone was taken care of), psychologically (problems were resolved together), and economically (ensuring a living for all). The family, as far as production, was an economic unit which had to work together, because an individual wouldn't survive alone. There were no generation gaps in a Romani family, because they did everything together.? (2)

Resources!
http://www.crystalinks.com/romapeople.html
(1) http://romafacts.uni-graz.at/index.php/culture/int roduction/roma-culture-an-introduction
(2) http://romove.radio.cz/en/clanek/18241

H is for Horses

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?A Gypsy without a horse is not a Gypsy??

Horses are an important part of Roma heritage. Horse trading is considered an ancestral profession of the Roma, and they are credited with the cultivation of two distinct breeds: the Gypsy Cob and the Gypsy Vanner. Before the advent of RVs and campers, the horse was the Gypsy?s primary mode of transportation. One of the few animals considered ?clean? by strict standards of hygiene (more on that later), they were considered part of the family, and enormous pride was taken in their care and wellbeing. A horse (especially a white horse) standing with its head over a gate is still considered a very good sign (or omen) to many Travelers.

The largest gathering of Gypsies in Europe today is an annual horse fair - the Appleby Fair - where Travelers from all over the UK and beyond gather in a week-long community festival to wash and show off horses. Many Gypsies and Travelers, it?s said, regard Appleby Fair as the most important date of the year. It provides a meeting place where families can socialize, conduct business, and friends and couples can meet up with one another.

References:
Actual website for Appleby Fair 2017
Info on Appleby Fair
Romani and Horses
Gypsy Cob
Ancient Profession
Gypsy Vanner Horse
Excerpts from a BBC Documentary
Traveler History with Horses