culture

Jess and I are watching My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding on TLC and it is fascinating.  There are about 300,000 Gypsies (or Travelers) in Britain. They grow up in really sheltered and strict lives and get married really young (like 16). They have huge wedding dresses-- I'm talking 20 foot dress trains and 200 lb. dresses which leave scars on their hips.  The reception is a huge nightclub party and the men sit separate from the women.  Then they get married, have lots of babies, and live really simply with few possessions. Yet everything about their parties are extravagant.

Lots of reception venues refuse to host their wedding if they find out they're Travelers.  Of course, a venue couldn't discriminate against a wedding of a different race or religion. But these people host a rowdy party.

It's fascinating to me.  I see many Biblical principals in how they live-- yet so many things couldn't be further from that. High morals and NO sleeping together before marriage-- but go ahead and dance in your under garments at your cousin's wedding.  Which could be both of your cousins...marrying each other, because that's ok.

 Of course, I'm only educated on modern Gypsies by this TV show and this article... All about Gypsies.  So it's possible that I may be a little uneducated.

Sometimes I forget how vast and complicated this world is.  Yeah, I just spent half my summer half way across the world-- but when I'm settled on my couch with my cat in my shiny new house... I forget.  The complications of culture and people always leave something to learn. And a lot to think about.

From TLC.com 

Sometimes I learn a lot from TV!