The Romani People

 

From my mere two trips to Europe I learned a great many things, but one lesson that is strong in my mind is how terrified people are of Gypsies over there. 

 

The term Gipsy or Gypsy comes from "Little Egyptians" due to a lack of understanding where these nomadic people truly originated from. The answer to that question is India. But the most interesting part of their story is how superstitious people remain about the Gypsies even to this day. In Greece you would see Gypsy camps on the side of the roads and peddlers selling all manner of goods all over on street corners. The curious part was how the locals would avoid the Gypsies at all costs... crossing streets, etc. 

I had heard my Greek in-laws recommend keeping distance from Gypsies, but I am an American, this ancient, old world stories are meaningless to me. However, one time on the Greek rail system my wife and I came across another American. This older lady was in love with the country an was telling us about the fun she was having on her trip. Except for the GYPSIES! "You better be careful with them, they can put a spell on you, use mind control, so avoid eye contact!" I was mystified. How can a reasonable person take this turn in their logic stream? It made no sense to me. 

Since then I have something of an amused interest in the Romani people now that I know they are nomadic merchants and magic users. They sound like characters from D&D or a video game.