Why gypsies are rich

In other houses, I saw teenage wives serving meals to teenage husbands. It was a restless town. Families were constantly leaving, heading off to Spain, France, Bucharest. Old men on corners reminisced about their traveling days, nostalgic for the variety and adventure. They also gossiped about shifting fortunes, blaming a roulette wheel operated by gadje for bankrupting households. Nothing seemed permanent except family ties.

All rights reserved. Men are often away on business; women, wealthy or not, stay to cook, clean, and raise the kids. A fantasia of styles, from villa to temple to castle, lines the main street of Buzescu, population 5, This story appears in the September issue of National Geographic magazine. Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London Love them or hate them, there's no denying their growing numbers have added an explosion of color to the city's streets.

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Webb, who made the news for all the wrong reasons when he was given hours of community service after admitting five counts of fraud in , has, like Alfie, turned to 'hawking' or selling door-to-door to keep himself going. Despite making heavy weather of teaching 10 Gypsy apprentices to create her spectacular wedding gowns in her own spin-off show, Thelma's Gypsy Girls, dressmaker Thelma Madine also appears on the show to explain why gypsies are being unfairly maligned.

They don't work for anybody else. Even if they're going round getting scrap and doing things like that Hardworking: According to dressmaker, Thelma Madine, Travellers work harder than most. Extravagant: Larry left gave his eldest daughter Margaret a wedding with eight bridesmaids and guests. I think this gets up people's noses as well because we've become lazy in our society. We sit there and wait for someone to say: "here's a job".

My Big Fat Gypsy Fortune also meets CassyAnne, who spends her time blinging up household goods and selling them on, and her husband Bill, whose dream is to breed dogs to take part in the gypsy pastime of 'lamping', or catching rabbits with dogs.

Last but not least is Irish Traveller Larry, who is planning a wedding for his eldest daughter Margaret. Like the stars of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, Larry is planning a lavish bash for Margaret, complete with eight bridesmaids, guests and a huge white dress. None of this will come cheap, but Larry is determined that his daughter has nothing but the best and says that Travellers have a 'secret way' of financing their larger-than-life nuptials.

We don't want that for our daughters. Helen is also worried that Traveller women are being portrayed as rich and spoilt when, in fact, life is a struggle for the majority. Mine was secondhand. They'll now be saying we are all criminals, or sponging off the state. I ask O'Roarke what she thinks the future holds for Travellers.

She is worried. And if these women lose the little support they have, they literally will be left to rot. She is concerned that problems affecting Traveller women and girls, such as lack of education, forced and early marriage, and abuse within the home, are not being taken seriously. But some say that things are slowly improving. Would Kathleen ever marry again? It is out of the question, she tells me. These things are just not done. O'Roarke would like to see changes that include: "Better support for the women to keep their daughters in education, and a serious commitment from the government to challenge the prejudice thrown at these people.

The reality is a far cry from the C4 depiction and is rarely aired. O'Roarke tells me that Traveller women are usually reluctant to allow outsiders into their homes, despite the impression given by MBFGW. The big fat truth about Gypsy life. Story continues. Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions.

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