Gypsy Weddings - Laughing Stock, or Reality?
Wed, 02/16/2011 - 15:35 | by admin
My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding...
I am totally addicted to this programme and have been itching to write about it! It’s great entertainment, but am I left laughing at the gypsy/travelling community. I’m not sure; I guess I find it hard to take it seriously – yes. I mean, the dresses alone appear to cost more than I could afford to spend on my whole wedding combined! Even with the whole, extended family contributing, it still seems a fair stretch for a community that appear to live on ‘scrap-metal trading’ and ‘car re-dealing’. Especially, since they appear to have large families with more than one girl in it. It would seem that in their daughters’ lifetime, the family has both the Holy Communion to pay for and then the wedding!!
My understanding from the programme, is that only the men are allowed to work; therefore, since their lives are apparently laid bare, it begs the question – where on earth do they get all that cash from? It may all be totally legit, but it might make the whole scenario a little less ridiculous if we knew that! Living in a caravan, but able to afford marriage in a country mansion, with a dress designed for a fairy-tale princess…eh?!
There are many good things about the community from what I can see. They’re highly moralistic and I applaud their attitude towards their families, and their communities. But, doesn’t it feel a bit like they say one thing and then do another? My Mum was a big one for saying actions speak louder than words! The young kids dressed in outfits, that I would never have been allowed to wear at that age and the ‘grabbing’ was a ‘shocker’. The women appear to exist in a set of rules that were derived in the dark ages and I find it hard to see a child crying at the sheer amount of work she has to do that day. Life for a child should be lived and an education is a necessity these days. I believe, from the reaction to this programme, that this is not the same for all gypsy/travelling communities, so why haven’t they made a programme including the differences, for example, the families that send their daughters to school etc.?
What I do think the programme has shown, is that the Gypsy/Traveller communities are not all to be ‘feared’ and the amount of prejudice against them is totally uncalled for. They are clearly doing their best for their families, even if it is all a bit bohemian and clearly a bit ‘different’ for my liking. Having said all that; whatever, it's great entertainment and I can’t wait for next installment!
