Romani dress
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Romani dress is the traditional attire of the Romani people, widely known in English by the exonymic slur Gypsies.[a] Romani traditional clothing is closely connected to the history, culture, and national identity of the Roma people.[2][3]
Certain scholars connect similarities of Romani dress with
Women's clothing
The dress of Romani women emphasizes the cultural tradition of displaying your wealth as a sign of good fortune. Romani women tend to wear golden necklaces, bracelets, and headscarves, all of which are often embellished with golden coins. The Diklo is a traditional headscarf worn by married Vlax Romani women.[2]
For the lower body, Romani women traditionally wear skirts. The size of the skirts varies among people of different tribes, ages, and marital status. Traditionally skirts were always worn below the knees as the lower body is considered taboo in Romani culture due to the laws of marime, but this has changed in modern times. Romani women would also traditionally avoid trousers although this has also changed among the young generation. Additionally, among the Vlax Roma, married women will wear a white apron above their skirt.[2][7] The apron of a Romani women was in place to protect the food from the dirt of the dress per the cleanliness code of Romani people.[8]
In certain Vlax Romani cultures such as the Gábors, Romani women over the age of 10 are required to wear a dress code that consists of a colourful pleated skirt, colourful blouse with patterns, long pleated apron from the same material as the skirt, and for married women, the kerchief constitute the rule for clothing. Married and young women alike wear a red ribbon in their hair. For footwear, women wear sandals, slippers, boots or shoes. The color of the skirts can reflect a Romani women's status and age with brighter colors being used by younger girls and darker colors by older women. Black skirts are a sign of mourning in the Romani culture.[3]
In the
Men's clothing
Romani men in urban areas tend to wear shiny suits and ties as a display of fashion, status, and elegance. Romani men often wear golden rings and necklaces as jewelry. The hat and vest of a Romani man is indicative of his tribe and clan affiliation. Because of the Romani stigma surrounding the lower body, Romani men will often avoid wearing shorts.[2]
Romani men's clothing was standard throughout their respective clan and the sharing of clothes between clan members was seen as a symbol of brotherhood.[11]
In certain Vlax Romani cultures such as the Gábors, Men are required to wear a dress code consisting of a broad-brimmed hat, loosely fitting black trousers, a dark overcoat and shirt, and a waistcoat with silver buttons. For footwear, men wear black closed shoes.[3]
Persecution
In many areas to this day, the identification of someone as Roma can have negative consequences. Numerous attempts have been made to assimilate Romani people into European society by minimizing various cultural markers such as clothing. European states have had optional and forced attempts at assimilating or eradicating Romani culture. During the
Due to movements such as Bohemianism, many non-Roma people have begun to dress up as Romani people. Helen Graham describes the problematic nature of this trend:
The problem with the Instagram tags is that non-Romani people can "dress-up Gypsy" for a day with no serious repercussions, but when a Romani person dresses in traditional clothing, or even a semblance of it, the response can be brutal.[13]
See also
Gallery
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Romani mother from Romania in traditional dress
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Photo of a Romani woman in Romania by Carol Szathmari, 1870
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Polska Roma in traditional dress
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Romani woman from Hungary
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Traditional dress of Gabor Roma of Transylvania
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Romani women of Turkey
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Romani men of Turkey
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Khamoro Roma Festival 2007 in Prague
In art
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Romani woman in traditional dress by Konstanty Mańkowsk, 1887
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Romani blacksmith in the Matra mountains by Théodore Valério, 1852
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Fiddler Romani boy from Hungary by György Vastagh
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"Musical Romani girls", oriental drawing by Edouard Debruxelles, (1835-1871)
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Romani woman by Nikolai Yaroshenko
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Romani woman in traditional dress, 1851
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Romani girl by Konstantin Makovsky
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Two Romani women outside their home, Peder Severin Krøyer in 1878
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Romani Girl with Mandolin by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
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Gitana dancing by Albert Edelfelt, 1881
Notes
References
- ^ Randall, Kay. "What's in a Name? Professor take on roles of Romani activist and spokesperson to improve plight of their ethnic group". Archived from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
- ^ ISBN 9780674744776. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ S2CID 144932844.
- PMID 23219723.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^ Sindya N. Bhanoo (11 December 2012). "Genomic Study Traces Roma to Northern India". New York Times.
- ^ Hübschmannová, Milena (2002). "Origin of Roma". RomBase. Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ISBN 9781414464305.
- ISBN 978-0-85745-995-4.
- S2CID 59140329.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - S2CID 146723120.
- ISBN 9780900458767.
- ISBN 978-1-84631-219-9.
- ISBN 9781447345299.
Further reading
- Gay y Blasco, Paloma. Gypsies in Madrid: Sex, Gender and the Performance of Identity. Oxford: Berg, 1999.
- Sutherland, Anne. Gypsies: The Hidden Americans. Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press, 1986.
- "Pollution, Boundaries and Beliefs," In Dress and Identity, pp. 436–444. Edited by Roach-Higgens, Mary Ellen, Joanne Eicher and Kim Johnson. New York: Fairchild Publications, 1995.