An important part of the Rroma traditions are devoted to laws about ritual cleanness and uncleanness (in Rromanes užo - biužo). A girl, from her first menstruations onwards, and till the menopause is considered as being potentially unclean and could thus also render a man unclean (mahrij): A man is not allowed to touch her skirt or, in the case of younger girls, her dolls. A women, on the other hand, is for example, not allowed to sit near the tools used for work. Should this happen, the entire work becomes unclean - mahrime - and has to be thrown away or broken.
When a Rrom considered ritually unclean, he cannot eat and drink among the other Rroma, but only among his closest relatives. In feasts, he sits, drinks and eats on the side; none is allowed to shake hands with him or even to touch him. This continues till the moment where the uncleanness - mahrimos - ceases. Other things are considered ritually unclean. For example, the following; touching a dog with one's hand, dogs and cats licking plates; eating or drinking from plates or vessels on the floor; washing together men and women's clothes; washing together upper body and lower body clothes etc. are all "unclean". Ritual uncleanness can also result from swearing - or invoking the evil eye - at utensils or tools belonging to another Rrom.
From that moment onward, the utensils and tools are then unclean.
These traditions are still very much alive among many different Rroma groups - more so even among the Kalderaša (where it is called pekelimos-mahrimos), among Lovara (marhimo), among Sinti (prasepen) and among Travellers in England (moxadapen). The most rigoristic laws on cleanness and uncleanness are to be found among the Polish Rroma (mageripen): They have an extremely complicated structure containing items which for other Rroma do not imply ritual uncleanness. For example, in fights among Rroma, it is forbidden to use a knife or any other metallic object. On the other hand, among Rroma who have settled down long ago, for example in the Carpaths and in the Balkan, this tradition is slowly loosing relevance or even has totally disappeared.