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

  • Massacre Survivor
    July 17, 2026
    Ribic survived a brutal attack by Serbian paramilitaries, who believed him dead and buried him with his family, but he...
  • European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
    July 17, 2026
    A Rom died during a police intervention in June 2021 after exhibiting aggressive behavior while under the influence of methamphetamine. The...
  • Ethnic Cleansing
    July 17, 2026
    Kosovo's Interior Minister declared Serbian Minister Snezana Paunovic persona non grata due to her controversial remarks advocating ethnic cleansing during...
  • Housing in Slovakia
    July 17, 2026
    The Slovak government has launched a call for proposals aimed at improving housing for marginalized Roma communities, with a budget...
  • Romanian High School Admissions
    July 17, 2026
    The Bucharest School Inspectorate published the official lists for high school admissions in 2026, revealing that over 900 candidates, including...
  • Commemoration
    July 17, 2026
    A joint commemoration for the Roma genocide during the Holocaust is organised by the Józsefváros Municipality and the Roma Municipality,...
  • Brawl in Greece
    July 17, 2026
    Serious incidents occurred in the early hours of Thursday (July 16) in the Prosfygika in a refugee area of Patras,...
  • Racism in Austria
    July 16, 2026
    32 Ukrainian Roma children were unjustly accused of theft, highlighting issues in the integration of these children in German language...
  • Summer Camp
    July 16, 2026
    A five-day summer camp in Slovenia, organized by the Creative Youth Association in collaboration with the Sports Union of Murska...
  • Etnosur Festival
    July 16, 2026
    The Etnosur festival will kick off the filming of "Voces Gitanas desde el Sur," a documentary aimed at highlighting the...
  • Slovak Funding Cuts
    July 16, 2026
    Over 1,600 people may lose their jobs due to insufficient funding for the Slovak Local Civic and Preventive Services (MOaPS)...
  • Romane Media
    July 16, 2026
    Minority media in Serbia, particularly Roma media, face existential threats due to lack of systemic support and sustainable funding, relying...
  • Lars Lindgren
    July 15, 2026
    Lars Lindgren focused on the cultural and linguistic rights of Roma in Sweden, emphasizing the importance of preserving their identity...
  • Erasmus in Romania
    July 15, 2026
    Pál Boglárka and Tornai Szilárd, local officials in Székelyudvarhely / Odorheiu Secuiesc in Romania, resigned from their positions due to...
  • Women Health in Hungary
    July 15, 2026
    Romnja in Hungary face systemic control in healthcare, often losing autonomy over their bodies, exemplified by a 2006 case of...
  • Corsa degli Zingari
    July 15, 2026
    The 'Corsa degli Zingari' is an ancient tradition in Abruzzo, characterized by elements of faith, devotion, and competition, officially presented...
  • Serbia and Roma
    July 15, 2026
    The Commissioner for Equality, Milan Antonijević, suspended the procedure against Dragan J. Vučićević for discrimination against the Roma minority, following...
  • Success Story
    July 14, 2026
    Olimpia, a young Romni from a modest background, has successfully passed her Bacalaureat exam and aims to enroll in the...
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