Rom of Czechoslovakia - Kinship, Marriage, and Family



Marriage. Traditionally, marriages were arranged by the parents of the man and the woman. Cousin marriage was forbidden and was considered the worst of all crimes. Upon marriage, the wife went to live with the husband's family and became a bori (daughter-in-law and sister-in-law) in that Family. Women were subordinate to men, although women procured everyday food for the family. On the other hand, daj (mother) was a sacred position and the high-status baro phral (eldest son) protected her from inevitable violence by her husband. As she got older, a woman's status increased and she was often respected for her knowledge of healing and dreams.

Family. The familija and the fajta were and still are the basic organizational units. The fajta is a patri/matrilineal lineage group. The familija is an extended family of from three to five generations, the members of which used to all reside in the same kher (house) or in the same neighborhood. Familija and fajta are also economic units; music bands consist of fathers, sons/brothers, and cousins, and in blacksmith families, the fathers did the smithing, mothers peddled the products, and children helped to blow the bellows. Families commonly sikhavel zor (showed their strength) by having the sons stand in front of the dwelling and lift heavy objects.


User Contributions:

in fact , i am from Egypt , and we have same Culture , i mean in marriage, and i know a girl is from Czecholsvokia. i wouldlove to marry her? what should i do ? because we are in mission here togther?

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