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Family life and marriage

Family life among the gypsies is quite similar to the Indian way of living. A typical family would consist of parents and their children. When the oldest son married, he would continue to live with his parents, during which time, his wife would learn the ways and customs of the family. Once she has imbibed everything, the couple would move out to live separately. By this time, the younger son would be married and his wife would take over the task of learning, imbibing and carrying on the family traditions.

Until the twentieth century, marriages were mainly arranged by the parents and other elders in the family. An interesting feature of a gypsy marriage was the practice of the bridegroom's parents paying a bride price to her parents. The chieftain or the voivode as he was known, handled finances and administrative issues including the pattern of migration, and interacted with the local authorities.