Gypsy Life

The Gypsies, or Roma, entered Europe during the Middle Ages from Northern India. They first appeared in Hungary in the 14th and 15th centuries, fleeing the conquering Turks in the Balkans. Since they were thought to be refugees from "Little Egypt", Greece, they are still known by the term "Gypsy" today. This race with an unfamiliar culture was soon expelled and brutally deported from Western Europe. Majority of the tribes retreated to Central and Eastern Europe. The Gypsy population forms the largest ethnic minority in Hungary with their number between 400,000 and 600,000.