I'm planning on going to Romania this summer in August and I was curious to know if anyone else out there knows of a place to see Romani culture/life. I know that the "gypsies" are somewhat hidden from many of the Romanian government-sponsored tourism advertisements, but I am rather fascinated with them and was hoping there would be a chance for me to visit and interact with them. Is this even possible? Any information you can share would be highly appreciated.
1
hunszeker
It would be pretty hard to travel around Romania without seeing them! It seems that they're everywhere!
To visit and interact? It's possible for sure, the question is: is it worth?
It's a pity you don't come in October, because a huge annual market is held in Körösfeketetó(Negreni in Romanian) which is a fascinating experience! Many of the participants are Gypsies and if something is not sold at the market that probably doesn't exist in Romania! :-)
But you could try to ask about other similar market fairs attended by Gypsies! I think that would be a pretty easy way to meet them without risking your safety.
In many places around Romania you'll see the huge, kitschy "Gypsy palaces" along the road. A good example is the small Transsylvanian town(village?) of Bánffyhunyad(Huedin in Romanian).
Here are a few photos, the text is unfortunately in Hungarian:
2
anonymous
And then there are the other not so fortunate Roma who live in one room mud huts or falling down tower blocks theres a lot of them around here. Negreni is an intresting festival well worth the effort to get there. There is also a horse fare near Bistrita but ive never been able to put a date on it i know its in the early summer but i think the date changes each year.
3
bmta
the m,ajor aspect fo their ''culture'' seems to be to hide anything from the gadje=you, the outside folk.
about any TV/radio/newsppr etc you may have seen/read tends to give a very, very unrealistic vision of what they tend to live there
4
jeroen
When I lived in Bucharest I noticed on my Taraf de Haidouks CD that the group is from Clejani, an hour south of the city. So I hopped on a train with the writer of the Rough Guide, hitched a ride on a horsecart from the station to the village and met all the musicians' families, got a tour of the village and even had music played for us - in exchange we bought a crate of beer. Lovely day out. That's how Clejani got listed in the RG. I'd suggest to take a similar approach, taking an open mind, a phrasebook, perhaps some family photos and a bottle of something to share with the guys.
5
lonelytravellerette
Have you seen the movie Gadjo Dilo? I recommend it. A French guy who spend some time in a village near Sambata (Brasov area).
Clejani is a good place to go I think. But usually every village has its community of gipsies. They usually have houses outside.
Another place I remember right now is at about 30km from Brasov towards Rupea, in Maierus village. It is situated on E60 and you can see small colourful huts by the road, naked children in the yards and clothes drying on the fences.
6
miki_s
Hi,
I've just spent 3 months working with gypsy children in Romania. The largest gypsy population in Romania is just outside of Sacele, which is a village near Brasov. I'm not sure what you're after, probably a lot more like what the others have already suggested. But this is where they live in really poor conditions, and it's quite sad. Depends what you're looking for - there's a lack of "culture" here, because these people have nothing. But this is how they live, and you can still see many iconic things (horse and carts, colourful skirts, etc).
Just thought I'd add that :)
7
cipy86
Hello, dont you ever call "Romani" when you're visiting Romania because Romanians we'll be offenced,
They are GYPSIES, the term "rom" was invented to make confusions between Romanians and Tsigani;
Ignorant and stupid people and uneducated people should see informations about Romania and they can come in our country.
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