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

  • Romania – Conference
    October 3, 2026
    The National Agency for Roma, in partnership with the National Center for Roma Culture "Romano Kher", organized a series of...
  • Roma Students and Police …
    October 3, 2026
    In the Maramureș County for the 2026-2027 school year, there are 3,872 Roma students enrolled, including 306 high school students. During...
  • King Credit
    October 3, 2026
    A gang known as King Credit in the "Lyulin" Roma neighbourhood in Sofia is reportedly terrorizing the local Roma population...
  • Bulgarian Roma in France
    October 3, 2026
    The Bulgarian Roma community in Moissac, France, is in conflict with local authorities, primarily due to issues of integration and...
  • Serbian Elections
    October 3, 2026
    Srđan Šajn, President of the Roma Party, stated today that the party would support the "Students Win" (Studenti pobeđuju) electoral...
  • Council for Roma Minority Affairs
    October 3, 2026
    The Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs discussed priorities including education, employment, anti-discrimination efforts, and increased representation of Roma...
  • Human Rights
    October 2, 2026
    The House of Roma Culture (HORC) invites young people and the Roma community to participate in an event focused on...
  • Conference and Event
    October 2, 2026
    A music and culture event celebrating Roma culture is taking place in Turin, alongside the 34th International Conference organized by...
  • Memory Camp
    October 2, 2026
    The XXVII International Romani Memory Camp will take place in Tarnów from October 2-4, 2026, focusing on the history, culture,...
  • Brawl
    October 2, 2026
    MEP Afroditi Latinopoulou discussed a controversial incident at a kindergarten in Ano Liosia, where a principal was filmed yelling at...
  • Sentenced
    October 2, 2026
    The County Court in Karlovac has sentenced three members of the Amić family to a total of nine years and...
  • Education in Romania
    October 1, 2026
    A meeting on September 28 focused on improving access to education, healthcare, and job opportunities for Roma communities in Maramureș,...
  • Jenische in Switzerland
    October 1, 2026
    The canton of Freiburg has initiated a project to support the education of children from traveling Jenische families, following the...
  • Portugal and Roma
    October 1, 2026
    Roma in Portugal face challenges, with communities present since the 15th century. An exhibition in Barcelos features photographs that delve into...
  • Slovenia and Roma
    October 1, 2026
    The Roma Community Council of Slovenia has opened its first office in southeastern Slovenia, located in Kočevje, to improve connections...
  • National Council of Minorities
    October 1, 2026
    The Republic Electoral Commission announced the electoral list "United Roma for a United Serbia" led by Dejan Lajković for the...
  • Burgenland Roma
    September 30, 2026
    An article which discusses the omission of Roma in a column about the coexistence of ethnic groups in Burgenland, Austria,...
  • Bulgaria Exhibition
    September 30, 2026
    The French Institute of Bulgaria is hosting the launch of the exhibition "Sillages" on October 8, 2026, which focuses on...
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