Perhaps the richest gypsies do not advertise their wealth. However, even if we assume that those representatives of the nation who openly demonstrate the available material wealth are the richest, then this people can hardly be called poor.
It has both the very poor and the middle class, but those who happen to master a substantial fortune usually do not hesitate to show it to the whole world, sometimes causing shock from representatives of other cultures in magnitude and splendor.
Briefly about who gypsies are
Gypsies are a large European ethnic minority without their own territory, consisting of several groups of immigrants from India. They live on the Eurasian continent, in the northern part of Africa, both American and Australian.
They speak the three main Indo-Aryan languages and their many dialects. The main languages are gypsy, domari and lomavren.
In Europe, Gypsies are generically officially called "Roma", which is one of the many names and self-names.
In April of the 71st year of the last century, at the World Congress, the Gypsies officially recognized themselves as a single nation. Symbols were approved - a folk song anthem and a two-tone blue-green flag with a red wheel in the middle. The meaning has a traditional and mystical interpretation. It was then that April 8 was considered Roma Day.
Love of gold
Gold for gypsies is not just a material blessing; love for this precious metal has a deeper meaning. The people's lifestyle has made such an investment of their own well-being very convenient - you can carry gold jewelry with you, change, hide, store it without worrying that they will depreciate or deteriorate.
Addiction to splendor and ostentation, bright, catchy outfits has led to the fact that it has become the norm to wear a wide variety of jewelry: massive, noticeable. More voluminous gold items could lurk under the clothes, and up to eight kilograms of them in the form of coins, chains, jewelry, etc., accumulated in gypsy women’s pouch belts.
The custom to wear rings, bracelets, chains, earrings and all kinds of pendants, to make elements of clothing from gold, and now manifests itself not only on holidays, but also in everyday life.
In addition, traditions associated with gold have developed: for example, a son must double the amount received from his father.
The richest gypsies in the world
When it comes to the wealthiest Gypsies, one can mention kings, barons and representatives of different clans, as well as various options for their demonstration of wealth. However, there is no such concentration of ostentatious luxury of gypsy houses anywhere in the world, as in the Romanian Buzescu, a town of millionaires with a population of five thousand people.
Gold is measured in kilograms. It is believed that 55 kilograms of this metal was spent on the interior of the house of the gypsy "king" Florian Chioaba. The annual income of one of the main gypsies is estimated at 50-80 million euros, and the joint with his subordinate clan - at 300-400 million euros.
The well-being of local gypsies is mainly based on the metal trade - ferrous and non-ferrous. Many of them belong to the large group "calderash" associated with the blacksmith craft and translated as "coppersmiths". Nowadays it is not complete without the hotel business, legal and contraband trade.
The settlement has eight hundred houses of various sizes and degrees of pretentiousness, excellent in architectural style. Number of storeys is mainly from four and above. Lower, especially two-story, small and not new. Often, old buildings are demolished completely to please the construction of new large ones.
Mostly in the settlement, old people and children, adult residents gather only on the occasion of tribal celebrations. Weddings, christenings, funerals are not uncommon and are held on a grand scale, so there are plenty of reasons to gather with the members of the birth.
The general condition of the town of the richest gypsies is estimated at about four billion dollars. Here, all the houses belong to millionaires. Their cost ranges from 2 to 30 million dollars (in some sources, the same figures are indicated in euros).
Buzescu, like all gypsy cities, is struck not only by the competition in wealth and imagination of home decoration, but also in contrast. Here they do typical crafts, keep cattle, and build a toilet in a separate room from the main building, since the philosophy of the Gypsies tells us to separate and not place under one roof the place where the body is emptied from where the food is prepared.
Moldovan city of Soroca - from the Capitol to St. Peter's Basilica
Ethnographers cannot come to a conclusion about gypsy titles. The richest gypsies with the greatest clan influence are traditionally called barons, kings, and even emperors. However, there is no autocracy. Self-proclaimed chapters appear here and there - and each is supported by a certain part of the community.
For example, in the Moldovan city of Soroki, hereditary Baron Arthur Mikhailovich (Russified version of the middle name, the original name sounds like Mircea) has been living for almost sixty years, waiting for his proclamation as king of the gypsies of the CIS.
He inherited the position from his father, who, along with his brother Valentine, was one of the first Soviet millionaires. Having made a fortune in sewing and selling underwear under the family name, Mircea was surrounded by a halo of mystery and various legends, the understanding of the truth of which is no longer possible. There are rumors about a private jet and about a golden-tooth beloved shepherd.
It was during the heyday of the business of Cherar Gypsy hill in Soroki began to be built up in elaborate and chic houses. Here you can find imitation of the most famous architectural structures from different parts of the world.
However, much remained unfinished, due to the fact that after the collapse of the USSR, only the first decade was successful for the business of local gypsies. And now, many buildings are empty most of the time, as their owners dispersed around the world in search of successful earnings.
It is difficult to name the current head of the gypsies in Moldova the richest. However, Arthur has ambitious plans - he dreams of the official status of his city as a capital, a university with a faculty of gypsy, office space and a throne room, its own periodical and television.
Gypsy holidays: the richest wedding
Gypsy wedding traditionally symbolizes the merger of families, an increase in total wealth. It is on this holiday that there is both a reason and an opportunity to surprise others. Gypsies often prefer the European version - a white fluffy dress, and add a lot of jewelry.
However, some parents try to dress their children so that fabulous wealth is striking. Here all methods and symbols are used - a golden crown, a dress and a veil of the same metal, huge jewelry on the bride (often incredibly young).
It has become a tradition among the richest gypsies to dress up a young wife in a dress made of notes. Very often very large banknotes, for example, with a face value of 500 euros, defiantly go for decoration.
The richest gypsies in Russia lead a more secular and Europeanized lifestyle. Often these respected families belong to the creative elite of the nation. However, they are usually not alien to the demonstration of wealth, and the holidays are struck by the abundance of gold and the scale of the events.
