Legends about Gypsies.

Gypsies (Gypsies) also known as Gipsy, Gypsy language called Rom (Rom). Dark-skinned Caucasians, originally living in northern India, now spread throughout the world, especially in Europe. Most Gypsies speak Gypsy (Romany), a language closely related to the modern Indo-European languages of northern India; they also speak the main languages of the countries in which they live. It is generally believed that the Gypsies left India through repeated migrations, traveling to Persia in the 11th century, to Southeastern Europe in the early 14th century, and to Western Europe in the 15th century. in the second half of the 20th century, the Gypsies had spread throughout North and South America, and had reached Australia. Gypsies call themselves Roma (meaning "men") and call non-Gypsies Gaje (meaning "outsiders"). Legend has it that they can read minds in mysterious and ancient ways. Little is known about the origins of the Gypsies. About 500 years ago, Gypsies moved to Europe. They lived in caravans and earned their living by selling their trade and giving readings. Because they were mobile, they were often unpopular. The word gypsy originally meant "people from Egypt", but this was a big misunderstanding. The Gypsies - technically called Roma - have their own language, Romani. Linguists have noted the similarities between the Roma language and the languages of northwestern India. The Roma language belongs linguistically to the Indo-European family of languages. Based on linguistic evidence, it has been hypothesized that the Gypsies probably originated in northern India and embarked on a migratory journey around the 11th century AD. During this time, their language was influenced by Greek, Persian and other languages. There are about 12 million Gypsies in the world, about 10 million of them in Europe. The Gypsies have a unique tradition of not intermarrying with foreigners (the age of marriage is between 12 and 13 years old). There are different "tribes" of Gypsies in different countries. Although the Gypsy population is large, they are dispersed and have suffered much as the Jews have suffered throughout history. In 1979, the United Nations officially recognized the Roma, or Gypsies, as a people, after Hitler sent half a million of them to concentration camps to be murdered in World War II. After the end of the Cold War, Gypsies in Central and Eastern Europe were again severely marginalized, their identity unrecognized and their survival threatened. Gypsies earn their living as entertainers (taken in the 1930s), image from the Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. The lack of recognition of Gypsies is largely due to their identity. Anthropologists and linguists have argued, and continue to argue, over whether the Gypsies are a single people. Determining that the Gypsies are a single people, rather than a multiethnic mix, would help to safeguard their legal rights. Recently, scientists at Edith Cowan University in Australia conducted a study of 275 individuals from 14 different Gypsy "tribes". These people were not related to each other. The researchers examined their Y-chromosomes and mitochondrial DNA (mitochondria can only be inherited from the mother, making them a useful correlate of a population's ancestry). They contained types of mutations known as haplogroups. As a result, the scientists found that the Y chromosomes of samples from all 14 regions contained haplogroup VI-68, which accounted for 44.8 percent of all samples. A similar finding was made for mitochondrial DNA: 26.5 percent of the men carried haplogroup M. These men showed very little variation in haplogroups. Mitochondria have helped scientists trace the origins of the Gypsies, a finding that suggests that, despite their different tribes, the Gypsies remain a single people. Moreover, haplogroup VI-68 and haplogroup M are both unique to Asians, which supports the linguistic evidence. The scientists published their findings in the December 2001 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics. Researchers at Edith Cowan University have indicated that they will continue to study the homogeneity of the Gypsy people, which will lead some countries to recognize the fact that the Gypsies are a homogeneous people. In the meantime, because the Gypsies are so homogeneous (they do not intermarry), scientists studying the genes of this "closed" people could determine the pathogenesis of certain diseases - the Gypsies are not an ominous symbol, but a very valuable specimen.