Old Roma customs: A proposal
Among Roma, it is customary for girls to be asked - "Proposal", and this custom is followed by many necessary actions.
The word "proposal" alone does not say much about this custom, so here is its somewhat extended description. When parents decide that their son is ready for marriage, they first ask if there are any girls who could marry. Who will find out about them, asking which of them is the prettiest and fairest. For Roma, it is important for girls to have light skin, so that their pride is as high as possible.
Because when a Roma woman has white skin and long black hair, that means she is beautiful. And when such a matchmaker becomes someone's daughter-in-law, that is a great pride, first of all for her parents, then for the boy she married, and especially for the house she came to. That's where the sayings came from: Si ma čhori, parni sar rakhlori, or Si ma bori, parni sar rakhlori. (I have a daughter, white as non-Romani, or: I have a daughter-in-law, white as non-Romani.).
Whoever finds such a girl, they will propose, regardless of whether the person who proposes knows her parents. Whoever arrives in front of the house where the girl is, they usually start the conversation by saying: Good evening host! We heard that you have a girlfriend to cuddle with, so that's why we came. Those words give him the knowledge of the owners of the houses that touch and what they want. If the owner thinks that his daughter is fit for pampering, invite him home. On the contrary, let them know that his daughter is still small and that he does not want a person who intends to propose to the house.
