What are gypsies?

Answer 1

Gypsies are a group of people from India that traveled to Europe in the 1400s. Although many associate Gypsies with nomads, it's actually illegal for them to travel, in caravans or otherwise. Europeans hated them and forbid them to travel, and if they chose to anyway, it was punishable by death.

Gypsies are illiterate and have no desire to cast off their own culture to integrate so they are outcasts. As well, they are often stereotyped as dirty thieves. Because of this stereotype, many cities in Europe don't want Gypsies living in the city limits, let alone attending schools with their children, or getting respectable jobs. So they're often forced to steal to live. In certain parts of Europe, they are segregated and are even denied health care.

Gypsies live in communities or camps that are incredibly poor. The women and men each have certain roles. For example, the women can only wear skirts and their heads must be covered once they marry. Men and women's laundry must be done separately so as not to contaminate the others.

Answer 2

Gypsies are the most hated minority in Europe despite centuries of persecution and the Holocaust, it has been claimed.
Up to half-a-million were killed by the Nazis - but their plight is often forgotten and they remain "demonized".

Along with the Jews, the Gypsy population was executed because of their race. They were a simple Nomadic people who originated in India. There were 28000 Gypsies in Germany, and 11000 in Austria. They were murdered in large amounts, because they were thought to be racially inferior and degenerate by the Nazis. To the Nazis, they were "Asocial" and did not fit into Hitler's plan for a new perfect society. In Sept., 1939, Reinhard Heydrich gave orders to have 30000 Gypsies removed from all of Germany. About 2 thirds of the Polish Gypsy population were also wiped out, which came to about 25000 people. They were treated similar to the Jews, with denied privileges and rights in many European countries. Gypsies were treated this way, for no big reason. They never really did anything to the Nazis, but Hitler wanted to eliminate Gypsies because they were of a different race. During the Holocaust, half a million Gypsies were killed, just about the entire European Gypsy population

Answer 3

A heterogeneous ethnic group, the Roma people. Originiated in India, now found in parts of Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, some asia. Have you ever seen Carmen or the Hunchback of Notre Dame? There were lots of gypsies in those two movies.

Answer 4

It's just a name for people that traditionally traveled instead of settling down. There are gypsies of every kind all over the world. My ancestors are from eastern Europe originally. Some think they are the lost tribe that left Egypt with Moses, but never settled down.

Answer 5

It is commonly believed that gypsies originated in Egypt however they started out in India and moved across Europe. They are nomadic, have no true mother land and are called Romas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_people

They are a people, they have a flag, an anthem and pride in who they are.

Answer 6

Gypsies are nomads, wandering groups of people who dance and play their instruments for coins in towns.

Answer 7

people that dont have homes and live in a caravan roaming the country

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsies

Answer 8

It's "Who are gypsies?"

Answer 9

Any community of nomadic people.

Answer 10

wikipedia is fairly reliable