international roma day

Happy International Roma Day!



My Gypsy man's dad first saw this flag in Yugoslavia in 1971 when an acquaintance brought it back from the first World Roma Congress, where it was officially accepted as the Roma flag. The congress also adopted an international anthem. My husband's family uses both enthusiastically.

A later World Roma Congress established International Roma Day as April 8th. (That's today!)

What Rom would turn down an excuse to celebrate? My parents in law went to visit family in Slovenia, where they had a big party at a restaurant with a lot of dancing. I wish we could have been there!

But this day is not only for festivities, it's also to raise awareness of Europe's largest minority (12 million)--and one of the most persecuted. For example, many people don't know that between 400,000 and 500,000 Roma and Sinti were massacred in the Holocaust, and no recognition, assistance, or compensation was made by the Nuremberg Trials. Unfortunately, the attitudes that allowed such atrocities to take place 70 years ago still exist today, and while Roma are not dying in concentration camps, thousands are suffering all over the world in other ways.

I wonder frequently what I can do to help these people. I hope that by writing about my experiences with some of them, I can add a positive perspective and decrease the hate that is in the world. The lyrics of the national anthem, Gelem, Gelem, talk about overcoming:

I have travelled over long roads
I have met blessed Roma
I have travelled far and wide
I have met blessed Roma

Oh, Romani adults, Oh Romani youth

Oh, Roma, from wherever you have come
With your tents along blessed roads
I too once had a large family
But the black legion murdered them
Come with me, Roma of the world

To where the Romani roads have been opened
Now is the time - stand up, Roma,
We shall succeed where we make the effort.

Oh, Roma adults, Oh, Roma youth

The hymn has a beautiful mournful tone, but also prideful, confident, and hopeful. The stereotypical Gypsy is carefree, wants only to dance, sing, laugh, and entertain. It's true, from my experience, that Roma love to be happy and to have a good time. But they cannot be dismissed as a carefree people. The world should be paying much more attention to their cares and concerns, for a lot of good reasons, and then dancing and celebrating a day like today, shouting "Yasha!" right along with them.