Show AGE OLD CUSTOMS OF ROMANY PEOPLE little change in centuries of wandering for all hla his placid virtues john bull still hus had a touch of df gypsy blood there are about gypsies in england who practice the U 1 0 o old ad rites of tho the p people e 0 a and n their caravans bright and gay are a familiar feature of the countryside recently at taunton charms and amulets were found burled with a babas body anti and up n police olice officer at the inquest testified that it Is IB a llo ito many custom to bury charms and coins with it body for good luck lack and farewell the gypsies have stranger cus cusi i toms tams than these an authority on their customs says many are married in a blood union A sort of wed wedding dhir cake la Is made of hour flour I 1 mixed with blood taken from the wrists of the bride and bridegroom both of whom cat a piece another marriage form Is that of jumping over a flowering broom plant but in the most generally used rite the bridegroom knocks thrice on tho the door of his belov eds caravan her father opens the door and the suitor must then produce fee evl evi dence of ills suitability a halter to show he possesses horses a ring to indicate money and a whip signifying ills hla possession of a wagon when tho the father loads leads forth the bride the happy couple kiss hiss and vow eternal falth faith and the groom kisses ills his bride on the forehead nn an act which means devotion then the bride helps her husband to food from the stewpot or op carries canles fuel to his caravan to signify obedience thus they aro are wedded not many divorces take place among gyl gypsies nowadays in days gone eone by a womans comans wo mans guilt or inno cence was decidedly decided decide dby by a horse which was let loose if it 11 was wad caught again without trouble it was held that the he womans comans guilt was small email if however it resisted capture this I 1 was taken as a of af very great guilt the horse was killed and over its dead body the man anil woman woma n vowed never to met again another form of divorce was by causing blood to flow between husband and wife this lie he did by chopping of the fourth finger of his left hand lie ile preserved the finger and carried it 4 about with him knien he married again lie he gave the hie finger to ills hla now new wife I 1 zt r when a wan man dies hla his clothes are hurled buried with him hla his caravan and other belongings lire are burned and noa no one Is allowed to touch them or to mention tho the dead mans name romany laws are very strict there are no judges or juries set clement of any dispute usually be ins ing left to the old women |