International Roma Day Quotes and Messages.
The international Romani/Roma Day is celebrated to bring to light the issues and problems that the Romani people face.
This day was first celebrated on 8th April 1990 as it was the first ever major international meeting with representatives of the Romani people and since then 8th April has been celebrated as the World Romani Day.
It is a day to acknowledge & celebrate Romani people, history, languages and culture. It is also a day to highlight the discrimination faced by Romani people around the world; historically and today.
It is a day to remind those who are unfamiliar with these things, to take some time to learn.
For several decades, the Roma people have suffered from social exclusion and discrimination. Many of them do not have access to good housing facilities, health care and education. They become subjects of physical aggression. They are often bashed online and even political discussions are not often favorable to them.
It was held in London and attended by representatives of the International Romani Union. Mateo Maximoff representing the Manouche group from France, Jarko Jovanović from Serbia and Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia), and Grattan Puxon and Donald Kenrick from Great Britain, spearheaded the first congress together with several Romani studies scholars.
The first congress achieved many things to unite the Roma people. During the congress the Romani flag design was adopted. They also established the music and lyrics of the Romani anthem that was to be used internationally. The congress also founded the International Romani Union.
The Roma people used to be called the Gypsy people. In the first congress, it was officially decided that the new term for the group would be “Roma.” It took four international congresses before April 8 was finally recognized in 1990 as a holiday that could be celebrated by the international community. The celebration encompasses the origins, culture, language, work, unity and the Romani-ness (romipen) of the ethnic group.
Universally, they are called the Roma people today, but in the countries where they are found, they are called by other names. In Spain, they are called gitanos and the French call them gitan. In Eastern and Central Europe, they are known as Tsingani. They refer to themselves by other names such as ”Sinti” (Eastern Europe/Germany), ”Manouche”/”Manush” (France) and ”Kale” (Portugal and Finland).
International Roma Day Quotes and Messages
The Romanis are such wonderful people. Happy World Romani Day everybody!
The Romanis have a right to be treated well. Have an awareful World Romani Day everybody!
We all demand justice for the Romanis and we want them to have better lives. Have a happy World Roma Day everybody!
The injustice that the Romanis face every day must be brought to an end. Have an awareful World Roma Day everybody!
The Romanis may be travelers but that doesn’t make them inferior to other human beings. Have an awareful World Romani Day everybody!
The Romanis face a lot of flak from everyone around them and it is time they get some justice. Have an awareful World Romani Day everybody!
The Romanis are just like everyone else and it is ridiculous that they are being picked on by society. Have an awareful International Romani Day everybody!
Flag Design
Dr. W. R. Rishi, Romani studies scholar and linguist, designed the Romani flag.
The flag consists of two equal-sized horizontal panels. The upper panel in blue represents spirituality, philosophy and the heavens. The lower panel in green symbolizes the ties of the Roma people to nature.
At the center of the flag, placed over the two colored panels is a wheel with 16 spokes. It was based on the wheel of fate according to ancient Indian beliefs. The wheel is a symbol of traveling and pilgrimage while the red color of the wheel represents the Earth element, which is the first chakra (one of the centers of spiritual power).
World Romani Day
Call them travelers or call them gypsies they are human beings at the end of the day. Be kind and Have a happy World Romani Day everybody!
Stop discriminating people on the basis of their race or on the basis of how their ancestors lived. Have an awareful World Roma Day everybody!
Dear Romanis, the world has not always been kind to you, but we want to let you know that we are there for you. Happy World Romani Day!
The Romanis are just the descendants of a group of people who were used to living in a different fashion and that cannot be a reason to bully the Romanis and be unfair to them. Have an awareful World Romani Day everybody!
