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

  • French Chronicle …
    October 11, 2026
    The election of a socialist mayor in the Nantes region was contested, as several Roma registered themselves for this election....
  • Józef Merstein Jochymczyk
    October 11, 2026
    Józef Merstein Jochymczyk, a Sinto musician from Poland, shares his life story, including his early experiences with music and family...
  • Ethnic Cleansing
    October 11, 2026
    Zijo Ribić is a Roma survivor of ethnic cleansing during the Bosnian War. He shares his experiences in the book...
  • Youth Parliament
    October 11, 2026
    On Friday, the first Roma youth parliament was established in Slovakia. Its mission is to facilitate dialogue between Roma and...
  • Mallorca and Roma
    October 11, 2026
    Laura Jurado's new work, 'Mallorca romaní. Una historia de la comunidad gitana', explores five centuries of Romani presence in Palma...
  • Germany, Sinti and Roma
    October 11, 2026
    According to Michael Hartmann, the anti-Gypsyism commissioner for Rhineland-Palatinate, Sinti and Roma often face discrimination in everyday school life. "Many...
  • Slovenia and Roma
    October 10, 2026
    Mayors from Southeast Slovenia and Posavje met with government representatives to discuss long-term solutions for issues related to the Roma...
  • Education in Bulgaria
    October 10, 2026
    The municipality of Montana is continuing its project for the educational desegregation and integration of Roma children for the fourth...
  • Roma Ball and Politics
    October 10, 2026
    Novi Sad Mayor Žarko Mićin stated this evening at the tenth anniversary Roma Ball in Veternik that the City would...
  • Serbian Elections
    October 10, 2026
    Salih Saitović, president of the Democratic Union of Roma (DUR), urged national media to include issues important to the Roma...
  • Slovak Local Elections
    October 10, 2026
    Zoltán Kašo (Team Košice), a candidate for the chairmanship of the Prešov Self-Governing Region, has withdrawn his candidacy in favor...
  • Work and Roma
    October 10, 2026
    This tourist season in the Northern Sporades, particularly in Skiathos, has seen an increase in the hiring of Roma workers...
  • SNS in Kragujevac
    October 9, 2026
    The local organization SRCE Kragujevac reported that a leader of the Serbian Progressive Party (the current ruling party in Serbia)...
  • Stolipinovo Demolitions
    October 9, 2026
    Authorities in Plovdiv are continuing their crackdown on illegal construction in the Stolipinovo Roma neighborhood, which has been linked to...
  • EU Enlargement and Roma
    October 9, 2026
    The seventh ministerial meeting on the integration of Roma in the EU enlargement process was held in Podgorica, Montenegro, emphasizing...
  • Slovene Local Elections
    October 9, 2026
    There are challenges in ensuring candidates and voter participation among the Roma community in local elections, often leading to low...
  • Slovakia: Project
    October 9, 2026
    Development teams in Slovakia will receive over 28 million euros from European sources to assist marginalized Roma communities with employment,...
  • Travellers in Zürich
    October 9, 2026
    The Canton of Zurich is expanding a transit site for travelers in Vorderen Pfannenstiel, allocating 3.2 million Swiss Francs for...
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