Roma, their History, Culture, Traditions, and News

  • The Roma
    The Roma
    Roma are variously known as Rroma, Gypsies, Tsiganes, Tsigan, Gitanos or Gitans, as well as Sinti, Cale, and many other names. They are Europeans, having arrived...
  • History
    History
    Apart from the non-controversial fact that Roma come from India, the rest of the Roma early history is a subject of controversy. When did Roma...
  • Language
    Language
    Roma have an Indian based language, a discovery of 1753.  Romanes, or Romani Čhib, is the language of the Roma. This fact is little known...
  • Traditions
    Traditions
    The Roma culture is not a written one and has kept its unity and consistency in spite of savage assaults. Traditions were one of the...
  • Music
    Music
    What is Roma music? What is Roma music? This seemingly innocuous question has fed quite an industry. From the 18th century onward, musicians, scientist have...
  • Reports
    Reports
    All reports presented here are strictly copyrighted to the Rroma Foundation Zürich. These reports were compiled by our staff while on surveys in various countries.
  • Questions & Answers
    Questions & Answers
    When hearing about Roma, when reading about them, a wealth of clichés, generally accepted “truths” and statements are always present. This summary presents the most...
  • Galleries
    Galleries
    These galleries are either the work of amateurs, documenting the situation in a specific region at a specific time (for example in Bosnia in 2001,...
  • Literature
    Literature
    Various informations and references on Rroma and on this site.

Who are Roma? Where do they come from? What is the difference between Roma, Sinti, Gypsies, Cale, Tsiganes, Zigeuner, Travellers? Do they have a language? Where do they come from? How many are there in Europe? What are their traditions?

These and many more questions are treated at length in these pages on Roma, history, language, traditions, music, but also in shorter form in the questions and answers page.

The page also has resources on literature, reports and many more items.

Recent News on Roma

  • Sport and Racism
    October 30, 2026
    Despite UEFA's zero tolerance policy against racism, anti-Hungarian and anti-Roma chants continue to be prevalent in Romanian football stadiums. Recent matches,...
  • No Roma child left out
    October 30, 2026
    The Partida Romilor PRO-EUROPA in Dolj is launching a campaign called "No Roma Child Left Out of School" to combat...
  • Roma Night
    October 30, 2026
    The event "Romska noć" (Romani Night) will take place on November 4, 2026, at Propaganda bar in Nikšić, celebrating the...
  • “XVth World Roma Congress”
    October 30, 2026
    The 15th International Romani Congress is taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria, from October 29 to 31, with representatives from around...
  • Elena Gorlova
    October 29, 2026
    On the occasion of the October 28th national holiday, President Petr Pavel awarded the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk to...
  • Misinformation
    October 29, 2026
    A TikTok profile misrepresents a statement by Mr. Srdanović, a student election candidate, altering his words from 'Never again a...
  • Slovak Mayors
    October 29, 2026
    Slovakia has elected a record number of Roma mayors, with 58 mayors and mayoresses of Roma nationality confirmed in the...
  • Roma National Council
    October 29, 2026
    The Roma Academic Circle has addressed the Electoral Commission and other authorities regarding equality among candidates and allegations of vote...
  • Mayoral Elections
    October 28, 2026
    58 Roma were elected as mayors in the last round of Slovak mayoral Elections. A full analysis of the results is...
  • Murder
    October 28, 2026
    A newborn girl named Maria was buried in Sheffield after dying violently just hours after birth, with her funeral attended...
  • Romani Politics
    October 28, 2026
    The Union of Roma in Serbia demands that the electoral list "United Roma for a United Serbia - Dejan Vlajković"...
  • Stolipinovo
    October 28, 2026
    A German journalist visited the Plovdiv neighborhood of Stolipinovo to challenge the stereotype of it being the 'most dangerous destination...
  • Bulgaria Presidential Vote
    October 28, 2026
    In the first round of presidential elections, Radostin Vasilev performed well in Roma neighborhoods, receiving more votes than his competitors...
  • Amala
    October 27, 2026
    The Amala ensemble, founded in 1996 by composer Imer Traja Brizani, celebrates its 30th anniversary alongside Brizani's personal milestones of...
  • Balkan Festival
    October 27, 2026
    Balkan Trafik! festival celebrates 20 years of Balkan music and culture in Brussels from November 19-21, 2026, featuring diverse performances...
  • New Book
    October 27, 2026
    The book "Gypsies, Roma, and Travellers in Higher Education: Contemporary Critical Perspectives" has been published, edited by Julia Morgan, Hazel...
  • Funds
    October 27, 2026
    Hungary has secured approximately 92 billion HUF (250.4 million euros) in funding from EEA and Norway grants for the period...
  • Racist Sport
    October 27, 2026
    The controversy surrounding the chants from Romanian FCSB footbal club supporters during the derby against Rapid continues, with calls for...
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