justamouse Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I often think I should have been a sociologist. Has anyone watched My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding? These people are amazing. Don't let the clothes fool ya. Highly moral, keep the world out, married So young. Stay married. In many ways it's almost medieval. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Totally sucked me in!! It is fascinating. The wedding dresses were incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLittleWonders Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Sucked me in too ... I keep clicking on the next part on YouTube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Same. Clicked the link on the OPs post and now I am clicking the next Youtube video for each part. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Just spent an hour I didn't have watching...only to realize there are more episodes. HAVE. TO. STOP. CLICKING> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 It would be so interesting to trace the development of the gypsy/traveler culture from a century or so ago (while at the same time investigating how much it really resembled the stereotypical portrayals in literature/art) all the way to today and see how it evolved into what we see now and what common threads still run through the fabric of their society. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 One thing that gets me is how utterly normal all the guys' outfits were in comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I live in N.Ireland so we have Irish Travellers here. I watched the whole series when it was aired here and I thought it portrayed a very rose tinted view at first. Have you seen the one where the boys "grab" the girls? It's tradition to grab a girl, drag her off and kiss her against her will. :confused: Many kids leave school early but have travelled around so much or simply not gone to school regularly so they cannot read or write. That is in another episode so I'm not gossiping, I could but I won't.;) OP, I too have a fascination with other cultures. The same UK channel that showed Gipsy weddings also showed The Squarest Teenagers in the World where Amish teens came to live with families in the UK and live the teenagers lives. It sparked quite an interest in me. There is a follow up show starting next week here where UK teens go to live with Amish families.:001_huh: That should be good..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I often think I should have been a sociologist. Has anyone watched My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding? These people are amazing. Don't let the clothes fool ya. Highly moral, keep the world out, married So young. Stay married. In many ways it's almost medieval. Don't believe everything you see on tv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 It is fascinating! Some of the customs seem so crazy, and so at odds with each other, yet they turn up their noses at indoor bathrooms--apparently the community members consider it crass to do your bathroom business in your house. The show definitely sucks me in, though certainly many parts of it make me sad. I hate for anyone to get married because she does not have any other options. My favorite person on the series is the woman who makes the wedding dresses. She is obviously respectful of the culture (her bread and butter, after all), but she makes a lot of comments about its shortcomings--the plight of the one single mom I have seen featured, for example. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I have a friend who grew up in an American Gypsy family. She married outside the culture. She was very poorly educated and is always trying to fix that. Her family group was migrant, doing seasonal farm work. When we first met, she knew very little about typical American childhood and was tickled to discover Winnie the Pooh with her children. The culture is very strict and tradition driven. Whether you call it highly moral or not would depend on what you mean by moral. To me, it is not moral to suppress a child's natural desire to learn. My friend also has to deal with genetic problems due to inbreeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 It would be so interesting to trace the development of the gypsy/traveler culture from a century or so ago (while at the same time investigating how much it really resembled the stereotypical portrayals in literature/art) all the way to today and see how it evolved into what we see now and what common threads still run through the fabric of their society. The horse fair that has been going on for 300 years is jaw dropping. I live in N.Ireland so we have Irish Travellers here. I watched the whole series when it was aired here and I thought it portrayed a very rose tinted view at first. Have you seen the one where the boys "grab" the girls? It's tradition to grab a girl, drag her off and kiss her against her will. :confused: Many kids leave school early but have travelled around so much or simply not gone to school regularly so they cannot read or write. That is in another episode so I'm not gossiping, I could but I won't.;) OP, I too have a fascination with other cultures. The same UK channel that showed Gipsy weddings also showed The Squarest Teenagers in the World where Amish teens came to live with families in the UK and live the teenagers lives. It sparked quite an interest in me. There is a follow up show starting next week here where UK teens go to live with Amish families.:001_huh: That should be good..... lorraine, I would love to see that show you're watching. Don't believe everything you see on tv. :glare: I'm not that naive. I have a friend who grew up in an American Gypsy family. She married outside the culture. She was very poorly educated and is always trying to fix that. Her family group was migrant, doing seasonal farm work. When we first met, she knew very little about typical American childhood and was tickled to discover Winnie the Pooh with her children. The culture is very strict and tradition driven. Whether you call it highly moral or not would depend on what you mean by moral. To me, it is not moral to suppress a child's natural desire to learn. My friend also has to deal with genetic problems due to inbreeding. Well, I was speaking to the part where they girls dress like streetwalkers, but wouldn't think to shame their family. That's a high tensioned balance to parent. I know there are negatives, as to any culture. I don't think it's moral that we have homeless veterans in our country, I don't think it's moral that we don't have universal healthcare, that there are hungry people in the US, or that there are kids here who graduate not being able to read or even afford college. So, it all depends on the POV. The Amish are so inbred that they have a genetic mutations that are extremely rare, and no one is castigating them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Diva and I have watched occasionally. Its so different from our lives that it provokes many conversations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I saw this over the weekend. I sat right down and watched the whole episode. I was fascinated by their wedding attire, especially that of the mothers' generation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I watched some of this program when it first started, its on about series 3 now isn't it? It was just so shocking that so many of the girls couldn't read or write. It feels like even though they look really modern, especially the women with their provocative clothing, fake tan & heavy makeup, they almost live locked in the past. I remember small groups of traveller kids coming to our school for a week or so once a year at primary school. I am not sure whether they were culturally the same as the people in Big fat Gypsey Wedding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 The Amish are so inbred that they have a genetic mutations that are extremely rare, and no one is castigating them. I hope it didn't sound as if I was castigating them, because I wasn't. I was pointing out the negatives that my friend had to deal with. That's it. Just facts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 So many interesting looking things being recommended to watch or read tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I've watched the show, too. I want to know how these families afford such outrageous weddings. I'm disturbed by the patriarchy I've seen. One girl talked about her fiancé being strict, like her father. Women are good for birthing babies and cleaning the house, but not much else.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 I haven't read all the replies, but I work in the banquet department of a large hotel and I have worked many big fat gypsy weddings. They are obnoxious, lol. They always include two meals. The first is for people to see when they enter the ballroom, but no one eats that meal. We throw it away. The second meal is the biggie, always with lobster and fancy drinks. This is the "grooms dinner" in which they "pass the hat" to pay for their $40k shindig. The music so so loud that my ears ring for days afterward. The biggest extravagance I have ever seen at one was a $10k cake with real gold frosting which no one ate. It was a very big cake, made into a beautiful golden castle. The bride and groom and various guests had their picture taken "in" the castle cake, and at the end of the night it went in the trash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 (edited) Wow. Edited November 19, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 I haven't read all the replies, but I work in the banquet department of a large hotel and I have worked many big fat gypsy weddings. They are obnoxious, lol. They always include two meals. The first is for people to see when they enter the ballroom, but no one eats that meal. We throw it away. The second meal is the biggie, always with lobster and fancy drinks. This is the "grooms dinner" in which they "pass the hat" to pay for their $40k shindig. The music so so loud that my ears ring for days afterward. The biggest extravagance I have ever seen at one was a $10k cake with real gold frosting which no one ate. It was a very big cake, made into a beautiful golden castle. The bride and groom and various guests had their picture taken "in" the castle cake, and at the end of the night it went in the trash. Why the waste? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerPoppy Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 You sucked me in. I'm now on episode 2. You're right; it's totally fascinating. I, too, wonder where the money comes from for the weddings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted November 19, 2011 Author Share Posted November 19, 2011 I hope it didn't sound as if I was castigating them, because I wasn't. I was pointing out the negatives that my friend had to deal with. That's it. Just facts. No, not you, but I was meaning that we put the Amish on a pedestal, and it seems the travellers are persona non grata. But perhaps they have more in common than one would first think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Why the waste? :confused: For face, I suppose. Like potlatch? (Not that I know much about that, it was mentioned briefly in an anthropology class.) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Honestly I have been to, at least ten or more of these weddings and they all throw away the first meal. They always like it dished up and sitting on tables when the guests arrive. The guests might pick at it a tiny bit, but mostly it goes in the trash. It is always cheaper than the other meal though, things like pasta salad and chicken breast. The second meal gets eaten, every scrap. I do not know why there is so much waste at these weddings, and it is sad when so many of these people came from eastern Europe and are so small in stature that I am sure they did not have enough to eat in their youth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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