The history of their travels is, as you will see, even more fantastic than that of the Jews, although being unwritten, much more obscure. Thanks to the work of anthropologists, we know that the gypsies were a lower caste of Indians who originated in the Punjab, in today's Pakistan.
They left the region during the clashes between invading Arab and Mongolian warriors, a thousand years ago. On their long odyssey, they travelled through, and settled in, the countries of the Middle East, including Persia and Egypt. Indeed, they became so closely associated with Egypt that they eventually came to believe that they were descendants of the Pharaohs, a legend to which many of their songs still refer - as a result of which they were called Egyptians, or "Gypcians" in English; while, in old Spanish, gitano was simply a way of saying "Egyptian".
 They reached Spain in the early 15th century and quickly spread all over the country. Although they were not expelled along with the Moors and Jews during the 16th century, partly because they represented no threat to the political and religious supremacy of reunified, Christian Spain, and partly because it was simply too difficult to physically get hold of them all, they were eventually forced to give up their Romani language (now identified by linguists as a simplified version of Sanskrit), as well as their nomadic ways.
Today's Spanish gypsies speak to one another in Castilian and live in wheel-less homes. They formerly made their living as tinkers (smithies or pot-makers), re-weaving the backs and seats of old chairs, as wandering musicians, fortune-tellers and, of course, begging and stealing. This earned them a bad reputation which, sadly, has not disappeared over the course of time, even though most modern gypsies are housed in permanent accommodation and practise well-respected occupations or professions.
One of the old traditions still observed on occasions is the sanctity of pre-nuptial bridal chastity, the verification of which could be carried out by one such as a maidenhead inspector, usually an independent, impartial senior lady. She is called a sacaora, and her task is to sacar la honra, or "display the bride's honour". The "judge" later entered the church screaming and holding up a large white handkerchief embroidered in each corner with three red roses. The people then lifted the fathers of the bride and groom on their shoulders and carried them about the nave of the church triumphantly, both of them ritually throwing off their jackets and proceeding to tear their shirts into shreds until bare from the waist up, waving their arms and yelling - which could take place in near-freezing temperature, if during a particularly cold winter. Then a large circle formed, with the guitarist and several singers to one side, within which the women, one by one, dance, exultantly. each of them putting her best foot forward to celebrate the occasion, in their gitana finery, with dresses of tasselled velvet and spectacular hair-dos and jewellery to match. The significance of the red roses embroidered on the pañuelo comes from the fact that, generations ago, three corners of a handkerchief were twisted together to form a lancet which actually deflowered the girl and were stained in blood. The current, more "civilized" procedure is for the judge to cover her forefinger with the handkerchief, not causing any damage. She went to the girl's home the day before to make sure that all was intact, thus making the wedding night inspection a mere formality. This time-honoured tradition is unlikely to die out "because there is nothing finer in the world than displaying the honour of a gypsy girl - porque sacar la honra de las gitanillas es la cosa más bonita que hay". Gypsy weddings take place all over Spain, with families as far as the Canary Islands flying out the "judge" at the expense of the bride's parents, to certify maidenheads, often costing the equivalent of a month's salary.
There is one gypsy celebration which takes place only in Montefrio which is 50km away from Granada airport, and, being public, can be enjoyed by anyone visiting on the 25th of December. It is really not so much a fiesta as a counter-fiesta. Traditionally, Christmas is celebrated on the night of the 24th, and nothing happens at all on Christmas Day except family visits and so on. But in Montefrio, after the Christmas Eve supper en familia, the gypsy men exercise their sacred right to go on a binge. The women dutifully wait up for them until dawn, and after pulling off their shoes and rolling them into bed, go off on their own little spree in a totally inconsequential manifestation of proto-feminist rebelliousness. The jolly parade is always led by a handful of crones waving bottles of Anis del Mono, followed by a bevy of younger things in mini-skirts and platform shoes, clapping their hands as the villancicos - flamenco-style carols - ring out in a type of dirge. The noisy throng, as if drawn by the force of gravity, ends up at the bottom of the town in front of Montefrio's great round church, at about 10 o'clock. The ladies swing their beams as, one by one, they stamp their way into a circle of singers, whose voices and hand-clapping crackle up into the chilly air like a burst of uncontrollable electricity. If you listen closely and can understand their Spanish, you may notice that some of the lyrics are quite risqué, referring to the sexual act and the male genitals, and drawing chuckles from the village men who are not in bed sleeping off their hangovers. But even the preposterous boots and synthetic-leather mini-skirts cannot dispel the feeling that this is the same sound which was heard around the camp fires, amid the caravans, sleeping dogs and wailing babies of the gypsies' nomadic forefathers. It is a custom one is unlikely to find anywhere else in Europe.
|
