Janelle Harrison

GYPSIES: The Detestable Culture

When examining the religions of the world, both past and present there are
usually some religious cultures that get overlooked. One such culture is that of the
Gypsies. Maybe it is because of their nomadic nature or their divination practices (which
include magic) but there are a variety of religious cultures that use divination practices
within their religious traditions. Perhaps it is because of their reputations a dirty thieves
that their culture has been shunned and they have been marked as the detestable culture?
But Gypsies have brought to light practices that entertain the mainstream culture
of many societies today. The Spanish gypsies have brought flamenco dancing and music
to the world and it is enjoyed by many cultures’ today and of times past.
The legends of the Gypsies reveal a culture rich in astrological worship. The
mythology of the Gypsies of Centeral Asia and Iran show a love for the powers of the
moon and sun. In the mysterious glowing light that the moon radiated down from the
blackness of the night, the gypsies found was to worship this power. Some legends link
the traveling caravans of gypsies to the planetary movements.
One myth of the gypsy nomads reveals that god sent his son Dundra to earth as a
human to help the gypsies that were being driven from their homeland by the Turks. They
believed Dundra ascended to the moon and became the god Alako. In a symbolic
representation of the struggle of the gypsies against their enemies, Alako seems to be
losing the battle as his light is ever decreasing. But just as it seems he is about to vanish
“he fights back bravely and once more emerges strong, full and bright.”
The religious traditions of the gypsies reflect a variety of religious dimensions that we
have learned about in Professor Ninian Smarts' class and book. The social dimension of
their ritualistic flamenco dancing, singing, and music playing is just one example that
reveals their small anti-social cultural values. But their ritualistic worship of the moon
That I have given an example of is also a part of the social dimension that is an umbrella
to the ethical and ritual dimension. According to Ninian Smart, there can be no ethical or
ritual dimensions without the social dimension. And because the gypsy’s culture was one
detested by practically every other cultural society around them, that made their social
unit even stronger. They had to create their own values and traditions, which reflected
their religious beliefs within their small groups with the expounding pressures of the
mass culture around them.