{"id":84875,"date":"2023-12-09T12:14:04","date_gmt":"2023-12-09T12:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/happylifestyleinc.com\/?p=84875"},"modified":"2023-12-09T12:14:04","modified_gmt":"2023-12-09T12:14:04","slug":"im-a-gypsy-the-crazy-superstitions-we-believe-in-from-never-washing-blankets-in-may-to-sitting-up-after-a-death-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happylifestyleinc.com\/fashion\/im-a-gypsy-the-crazy-superstitions-we-believe-in-from-never-washing-blankets-in-may-to-sitting-up-after-a-death-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"I'm a gypsy – the crazy superstitions we believe in from never washing blankets in May to 'sitting up' after a death | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"

FROM not putting new shoes on the table to avoiding walking under a ladder, many of us have got superstitions that we believe in.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But one gypsy woman has revealed the little-known superstitions her family, friends and others in the traveller community follow – from never washing a blanket in May, to burning wagons when someone dies.\u00a0<\/p>\n


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We spoke to Chantelle Devonshire, a 22-year-old gypsy wife from Cambridge, to find out the traditions that many travellers believe in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chantelle revealed the superstitions that many in her family obey – from never buying an outside brush in May, to \u2018sitting up\u2019 when someone dies, as well as the concept of luck money.<\/p>\n

Chantelle told Fabulous: \u201cDifferent travellers up and down the country have different beliefs.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people think that we\u2019re old-fashioned and don\u2019t keep up with the times.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more real life stories<\/h2>\n

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\u201cTravellers like to keep the old traditions alive. I think that\u2019s why a lot of them stick by their beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n

NO MAY:\u00a0<\/strong>Don't wash, cut or buy<\/h3>\n

Chantelle explained that many travellers hold superstitious beliefs about the month of May – and would never wash a blanket, cut their hair, or buy an outside brush during this month.<\/p>\n

She revealed: \u201cIn the month of May, some travellers believe that if you buy an outside brush, it means that you\u2019re going to swipe one of your family members away, like they\u2019re going to die.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t wash a blanket in May, because you\u2019ll wash your family away and you can\u2019t cut your hair in May. My husband never used to cut his hair in May.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s a real old one, even my granny remembered her mum talking about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy granny was telling me a story about a man who bought a brush in May. A few months went past and the man came back and said that his son died and two other of his family members died.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne time, my granny saw me washing a blanket in May and she was going on at me saying \u2018you shouldn\u2019t be doing that, you\u2019re going to wash one of your family members away, just get another [blanket].\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

PAY RESPECTS: Wear black and 'sit up' <\/h3>\n

Not only this, but Chantelle explained that when someone in the traveller community dies, there are traditions that gypsies will follow.<\/p>\n

She claimed that many will wear black for months and people will \u2018sit up\u2019 soon after the death.<\/p>\n

She explained: \u201cTravellers will dress in black for months out of respect when a close family member dies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy granny dressed in black for over a year when her mum died and she dressed in black for half a year when her granny died.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is out of respect, you\u2019re showing respect to the dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all \u2018sit up\u2019 when someone dies. It\u2019s to show your respect to the person that died and to their loved ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been to places where we sat up and I didn\u2019t really know the person that died but I went to show my respect to their family members I did know, and that\u2019s how travellers are.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen someone dies, you can expect quite a few people at their place.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will go to their place, the men will be outside round the fire, they normally put a marquee up and women will go in there and sit up.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome travellers sit up for weeks, some only sit up for a few days, it just depends how long they want to do that for.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s basically where you sit and talk about the person who died. It\u2019s all about showing respect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

BURN\u00a0<\/strong>IT: When an elderly traveller dies<\/h3>\n

Not only will travellers \u2018sit up\u2019 after a gypsy\u2019s death, but if a traveller who lived in a wagon died, many will burn their wagons following their death.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chantelle continued: \u201cWhen some elderly travellers die, the family will take everything out of the trailer and they will burn the trailer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason is they say that they don\u2019t want anyone going to live in that home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s out of respect – they wouldn\u2019t want someone else living in their trailer.\u201d<\/p>\n

GET LUCKY: Touch wood and money tradition<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Chantelle explained that many travellers believe in a variety of superstitions, which they hope will give them good luck.<\/p>\n

Not only do they touch wood, but they also believe in a concept called \u2018luck money\u2019 too.<\/p>\n

She claimed: \u201cTravellers believe magpies are bad luck. They also believe in touching wood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you talk to a traveller, many of them will say \u2018touch wood that doesn\u2019t happen\u2019. They think that if they touch wood they will have good luck.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother traveller belief is luck money. My husband does this and nearly every traveller man I know does this.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a man is going to buy a dog or chalet or something, they will give them the money and then the person selling it will give them money back – luck money.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s basically for them to have good luck with what they\u2019ve just bought off of you.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if they buy a chalet, I\u2019ve seen people give \u00a3100 back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a very common one, a lot of men do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

DON\u2019T SAY IT: Banned words\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While all travellers are different, Chantelle explained that there are certain words that many travellers would never say.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cThere\u2019s certain words travellers don\u2019t say.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband won\u2019t say \u2018ferret\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of travellers won\u2019t say \u2018devil\u2019, they\u2019ll say \u2018the muller\u2019 instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

LISTEN UP<\/strong>: 'God bless' and 'on oath' <\/h3>\n

While there\u2019s certain words many travellers avoid saying, there\u2019s also sayings that a lot of them will use.<\/p>\n

Chantelle revealed: \u201cA lot of travellers will say \u2018god bless\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I saw an old woman in the shop, I would say \u2018goodbye, god bless\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a sign of respect, and is done to wish that person well.<\/p>\n

\u201cTravellers will make oaths too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they say something and you don\u2019t believe what they are saying, they will say \u2018on my mother\u2019s life\u2019, or \u2018I make oath on my granny\u2019s life\u2019, or \u2018I won\u2019t do it, I will make oath\u2019 – that\u2019s to prove you\u2019re not lying.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAll my family do that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: fabulousdigital@the-sun.co.uk and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line<\/strong>.<\/p>\n


\nSource: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FROM not putting new shoes on the table to avoiding walking under a ladder, many of us have got superstitions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84874,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nI'm a gypsy - the crazy superstitions we believe in from never washing blankets in May to 'sitting up' after a death | The Sun - happy LifeStyle inc<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/happylifestyleinc.com\/fashion\/im-a-gypsy-the-crazy-superstitions-we-believe-in-from-never-washing-blankets-in-may-to-sitting-up-after-a-death-the-sun\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"I'm a gypsy - the crazy superstitions we believe in from never washing blankets in May to 'sitting up' after a death | The Sun - 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