International holidays - International Roma Day

On April 8, the entire world community celebrates International Roma Day. This holiday has truly become international, since the gypsies still, as indeed originally, do not have their own state; the entire planet Earth is their homeland. The gypsies even have a beautiful legend that explains this fact. It says that the Lord himself loved the Roma so much that he did not impose any specific territory on them to live, but instead gave them the whole world. In general, Gypsies are a collective name for more than eighty ethnic groups that are united by a common origin and necessarily adhere to all “Gypsy laws.” It was in order not to lose their unique culture, carried through centuries, to preserve it for posterity, in 1971, on April 8, the first ever World Gypsy Congress was held in the capital of Great Britain - London. Its significance is evidenced by the fact that delegates from 30 countries attended. Several decisions were developed at this congress. Firstly, the Roma recognized themselves as the only non-territorial nation, secondly, they adopted the national symbols of the Roma: the anthem and the flag, and thirdly, they decided to celebrate International Roma Day on April 8 every year. As part of this event, traditionally, numerous concerts, art festivals, film screenings, and meetings are held. Some representatives of this nationality carry a lighted candle through the streets on this day. But in general, this is a holiday not only for the Roma themselves, but also an opportunity for everyone who wants to get acquainted with the bright, cheerful, colorful culture of the Roma, their customs and traditions, and perhaps learn something. After all, the fact that, despite the absence of their own state, the Roma were able to preserve their identity and uniqueness certainly deserves deep respect.