Language
Currency
Originally, these groups of gypsies or Gitanos residing in Spain originated from the Indian subcontinent, particularly northwest India, with the first Roma leaving northwest India between the ninth and fourteenth century. The first evidence of gypsy communities in Europe and Spain dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Some of them settled in Spain, while others continued to migrate. Those that settled and limited their travelling within a given region mixed with the local peoples and culture, thus having a profound influence on certain traditions and customs. In this way, Roma gypsies have become a central part of the Spanish community, with their own cultures and traditions, which are an integral part of the wider mainstream culture. The most prominent example is in Andalusia, where the local culture, and more specifically the flamenco music, dance, and style of clothing has a distinct and profound influence from the Roma community that have settled there.
Although most historical accounts indicate that the Gypsies originated in India, the narrative of the community is fascinating with many folk tales and oral history of their existence as a nomadic community travelling from place to place and settling temporarily. Such an example comes to us from Persia, where the king of Persia ordered a group of people to come to Persia as artists. But disappointed by their slothfulness, he sentenced them to travel relentlessly and perform wherever possible. Folklore is indeed very fascinating!
Flamenco music and dance is perhaps the most prominent gypsy culture in Spain. The majority of Spain's gypsy population, nearly 40%, lives in Andalusia in southern Spain. Gypsy music, dance, art and culture have been integrated into Spanish culture more than ever before. Gypsies have no particular religion, but they adopt the religion of the country in which they have settled. However, daily life in a Roma home can be different, and can change depending on ethnic beliefs, cultural differences and common ways of life.
>>> Flamenco: The Art of Emotions
Gypsies have always attached great importance to family and community ties. They live in large extended families, with social and community customs that have long been dear to them. The Gypsy and Roma community also attaches great importance to marriages and the customs of conjugal parity, and men and women often marry young. Although their customs reflect the traditional arrangements to date, their common way of life creates harmony and solidarity among them.
The Gypsies entered Spain as a tight-knit family group, but it was not only once a group of Gypsies entered Spain and settled in the periphery, but the entry of these nomadic communities continued over time and gave rise to a large number of the current Gypsy and Roma population. In the beginning, the Roma community was received well in Spain and were even given official protection by some local authorities. However, from 1492, with the Christian Reconquista of Spain who wanted to get rid of non-christian groups, gypsies were not very well accepted by the dominant Spanish society and were relegated to the periphery, geographically and culturally, as well as being excluded from public office. The Roma people were one of the ethnic groups that the government wanted to assimilate or drive out of the country. Under the Franco regime, from 1939 to 1975, Roma were persecuted and harassed, and generally maltreated.
However, in the post-Franco era, Spanish government policy started to be much more sympathetic towards the Roma community and tried to integrate them into society, which is in great contrast to other European countries who continued to try and exclude the Roma community. The Spanish government, when governed by Cadiz born Juan de Dios Ramirez, made efforts in 1975 to address community problems with the provision of educational programmes, social services, and welfare, as well as housing being built by local authorities. Since then ,the Spanish government also operated a special programme to promote educational rights for minority or disadvantaged groups, which included the Romani communities, and was called the programme of Compensatory Education. Following this, in 1983, the Since then, many of the houses that were built in larger cities such as Barcelona have become deprived ghettoes, leading to the launch of the Gypsy Development Programme in 1988 which consulted the Roma community to a greater extent.
Today, the Gitanos are far from the nomadic tribes who live on performances and lead a rudimentary or nomadic lifestyle. We can still give examples of Romas who move from place to place, but they have their own vehicles and housing on wheels, far from the old journeys on foot. Most Roma have assimilated into the wider Spanish culture, with increasing social mobility and education levels, as well as educational rights, making it difficult to distinguish those with known identity precursors. Nevertheless, even with globalization and modern cosmopolitan identities, the Gypsy tradition is cherished and kept alive in the daily lives and memories of its members, especially in regions such as Andalusia, where a large amount of its residents are gypsy or Roma people.
18
10
10
10
5
5
