Kalderash
Encyclopedia
The Kalderash are a subgroup of the Romani people, from the Roma meta-group. They were traditionally smith
s and metal workers and speak a number of Romani dialects grouped together under the term Kalderash Romani, a sub-group of Vlax Romani.
, Kalderash in Romani
, котляры (Kotlyary) in Ukrainian
, and Кэлдэрары (Kelderary) in Russian
) descends from Latin
caldāria (related to Romanian căldare "cauldron, bucket, pail", Modern Greek
καρδάρι and English cauldron), in effect describing their trade as tinker
s. Many Roma and non-Roma living throughout Europe have the surname "Caldaras", linking their ancestry to this Romani subgroup. An annual Gypsy festival in San Sebastián
is still commemorated by the procession of the Caldereros on February 2nd each year.
to the north and east.
.
Smith (metalwork)
A metalsmith, often shortened to smith, is a person involved in making metal objects. In contemporary use a metalsmith is a person who uses metal as a material, uses traditional metalsmithing techniques , whose work thematically relates to the practice or history of the practice, or who engages in...
s and metal workers and speak a number of Romani dialects grouped together under the term Kalderash Romani, a sub-group of Vlax Romani.
Etymology
The name Kalderash (Căldărari in RomanianRomanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
, Kalderash in Romani
Romani language
Romani or Romany, Gypsy or Gipsy is any of several languages of the Romani people. They are Indic, sometimes classified in the "Central" or "Northwestern" zone, and sometimes treated as a branch of their own....
, котляры (Kotlyary) in Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
, and Кэлдэрары (Kelderary) in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
) descends from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
caldāria (related to Romanian căldare "cauldron, bucket, pail", Modern Greek
Modern Greek
Modern Greek refers to the varieties of the Greek language spoken in the modern era. The beginning of the "modern" period of the language is often symbolically assigned to the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, even though that date marks no clear linguistic boundary and many characteristic...
καρδάρι and English cauldron), in effect describing their trade as tinker
Tinker
A tinker was originally an itinerant tinsmith, who mended household utensils. The term "tinker" became used in British society to refer to marginalized persons...
s. Many Roma and non-Roma living throughout Europe have the surname "Caldaras", linking their ancestry to this Romani subgroup. An annual Gypsy festival in San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
is still commemorated by the procession of the Caldereros on February 2nd each year.
Distribution
There are about two hundred thousand Căldărari living in Romania. They spread throughout Ukraine migrating from BessarabiaBessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
to the north and east.
Employment
Nowadays, due to industrialisation, metalcraft is no longer as profitable, so the Kalderash have diversified their sources of income, though often they remain in metallurgyMetallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
.
Customs
The Kalderash traditional dress is one of the most famous Romani traditional dresses, and is still worn. They usually marry at a very young age (15–20, last 20 years in Russia 12–18) and have very strict customs relating to hygiene.Famous Kalderash
- Luminiţa Cioabă (Maria Mihai), writer
- Emil Demeter, writer
- Nadezhda Demeter, activist, ethnographist
- Olga Demeter-Charskaya, actress, singer, poet, writer
- Peter DemeterPeter DemeterPeter Demeter is a Hungarian-born Canadian man convicted of arranging the murder of his wife, as well as attempting to arrange the murder of both his cousin's son and a lawyer's daughter....
, music composer, actor, murderer - Roman Demeter, poet
- Vladislav Demeter, journalist, activist, choirmaster
- Ronald LeeRonald Lee----Ronald Lee is a Canadian Romani writer, linguist and activist.-Childhood and Youth:Lee's father was a Kalderash musician from Europe. He emigrated to Canada where he got married, taking his wife's surname, Lee....
, writer - Josiah Kalderash, religious leader
- Matéo MaximoffMatéo MaximoffMatéo Maximoff was a French writer of Romani ethnicity and an Evangelical pastor.-Biography:Matéo's father was a Kalderash Rom from Russia, his mother was a Manouche from France. She was a cousin of Django Reinhardt. Matéo was born in Barcelona, Spain.His father was a tinker. He taught Matéo how...
, writer - Anton PannAnton PannAnton Pann , was an Ottoman-born Wallachian composer, musicologist, and Romanian-language poet, also noted for his activities as a printer, translator, and schoolteacher...
, writer, musician - Oleg Petrovich (Mursha Saporoni), writer
- Katarina TaikonKatarina TaikonKatarina Taikon-Langhammer was a Swedish Romany writer and actor, from the Kalderash caste...
, author of books for children - Rosa TaikonRosa TaikonRosa Taikon is a Swedish Romani silversmith and actor from the Kalderash caste. She is the sister of Katarina Taikon.Her silver jewelry has been exhibited in many galleries and museums like the National Museum of Fine Arts and Röhsska Museum....
, jeweller
Suggested further reading
- Ronald Lee, Romani Dictionary: Kalderash-English, Magoria Books, 2010. ISBN 978-098-116264-5http://www.romanidictionary.com/rodikalen/