Gypsies

In about the tenth century, groups of people began to leave northern India and to travel all over Europe. Being very independent, they kept their original language to a great extent- this is what we now call Romany, and it is descendant of a form of Sanskrit. Gypsies’ beliefs are basically Christian, but they also have a very complicated set of superstitions and legends. Gypsies’ are still extremely independent, and insist on their right to live as nomads in their wagons and caravans. There are few real Gypsies’ about these days-most of Britain’s’ nomadic people are not fully Romany at all, but did-dikai’s, or half –breeds, as the full Romanies call them. Gypsies’ first came to Britain in the early sixteenth century.