Big fat gypsy weddings

HappyEnough

Thank you Joho. You are right, our community has a very negative reputation, some of it bought upon themselves and only themselves to blame i admit, but we are like every other community in this country, we have good elements, and bad. These "travellers" they are depicting are completely alien to us! Like yourselves, we sat in horror watching this program unfold in front of us! My kids could not understand why the girls on the tele seemed to be able to behave like complete tarts while they werent even allowed out the front door since 6 cos it was dark (and they are 14 and 18 and 18!!!).
Thanks for your kind response.

HappyEnough

tanith wrote: »

I don't understand HappyEnough, are you saying that the travellers in the show are making up most of what they say is their way of life or is it just your part of the travelling community doesn't participate in the kind of things that we saw in the show? I had call to visit a traveller site many times in London when I was working and the girls I saw did indeed travel around in groups dressed just like the ones we saw on the show.. they were very nice girls but the way they dressed at so young an age I didn't think was appropriate although it was just normal dress to them.

Hello there
well, i have to be honest and say that here in Kent I know of no travelling girl that would be permitted to dress in such a way! Irish travellers are different in their outlook, which these in the programme appear to be. I am interested to hear about your experience, it just goes to show how diffent communities are in different areas!! The girls do like their "bling", gold etc, and lacey bits for girls, and some outfits ARE over the top, as are some of our furnishing but i can honestly say that ours truely would not be permitted to go out in the garments that the girls in the show wore in Lanzarote!!!

busiscoming2

I was talking to a friend of mine who comes from a traveller family and tIhey told me that it was fabricated, they too had never heard of 'grabbing' either. I daresay some of them are like the ones portrayed but I think the majority of them arent. I think we should just enjoy it as entertainment.

I do agree with the dressmaker though - awful dresses but they pay good money for them.

zee_2

just been reading your comments and except for lady married into that way of life and seems to be sensible , all other comments are what a sensible person would expect from people who believe that these programs are true.
the only reason that controversial programs are made is for [BIG] money [ repeats ]
if you are gullable to believe what was shown as true life , I feel sorry for you , its possible 'traveller people' were there and I assume they were paid in cash and laughed at thought of people being worked up over it.
I have been round world 12 times and think the english are only gullable less than the americans.
it was a show to entertain , and that is what it did well.

HappyEnough

busiscoming2 wrote: »

I was talking to a friend of mine who comes from a traveller family and tIhey told me that it was fabricated, they too had never heard of 'grabbing' either. I daresay some of them are like the ones portrayed but I think the majority of them arent. I think we should just enjoy it as entertainment.

I do agree with the dressmaker though - awful dresses but they pay good money for them.

:T Completely awful dresses!
OOOH wont next weeks episode be exciting! I hope I dont get as worked up!
Im off to do womans work, lol, cook tea which is a nice hot Joe Gray (gypsy stew) and supervise homework as my hubbie is upstairs having a nap! Have nice evening everyone, now ive stirred up things! Sorry

joho

I'm always open to being corrected and educated!

I wonder - could this grabbing thing be the sort of thing the kids could have developed amongst themselves, keeping it secret from parents and adults? Don't all teenagers have secrets from their parents and have their own special meeting places and rituals? Not all parents know EXACTLY where their children are at every minute of the day. I can't think of something to compare it to, maybe raving when that became popular - how many kids told their parents they were going to a rave? One, because parents wouldn't understand it; and two, because they wouldn't be allowed. Does that make sense?

tod123

how come all the men seem to come out of central casting?

same hair, same sleeveless t-shirts , piggy eyes and freckles?

Is it because its such a limited gene pool?

DuchyGirl

Cheyenne and montana are english gypsys as is swanley and josies,s dad. Josies mum is an irish traveller who spent her life in england but with these closed communities the accent passes from generation to generation . Grabbing is an English gypsy custom and if it happened to an irish traveller the boy would probably end up in hospital as her family would go mad.
English gypsys marry in church of England and irish Travellers are catholics. The show should tell the difference between the two cultures as i have found that the irish travellers are the ones that have strict parents and chaperones. The two have started marrying in to each other now but years ago it would have been a no-no.
Because they all have site accents as i call it you cant tell the difference they all sound irish which is not the case and when gypsys do anything wrong the irish travellers get the blame . Also Irish travellers are not as rich as gypsys who seem to be loaded, i work in an area of the community that deals with both and they can be lovely. Do think the irish traveller mum who let her little girl wear that holy communion dress was terrible as the poor child could not walk.

DuchyGirl

HappyEnough wrote: »

Hello there
well, i have to be honest and say that here in Kent I know of no travelling girl that would be permitted to dress in such a way! Irish travellers are different in their outlook, which these in the programme appear to be. I am interested to hear about your experience, it just goes to show how diffent communities are in different areas!! The girls do like their "bling", gold etc, and lacey bits for girls, and some outfits ARE over the top, as are some of our furnishing but i can honestly say that ours truely would not be permitted to go out in the garments that the girls in the show wore in Lanzarote!!!

No they are English Gypsys....Irish travellers marry in catholic churches and would never be married by a vicar which this couple was.

TamVilla80

Obviously the gypsys/travellers in the programme are not representative of all of them across the country, but some of them must be like that because they are being filmed carrying on about their normal lives. It's insulting that just because we are talking about the people we are watching, some people are presuming that we are saying that all of them are like that, and that we are uneducated racists.

Anyway, as we are on the wedding board, can we carry on with light-hearted chat about crappy wedding tv programmes please?! (There is an area for serious debate elsewhere on these forums) I'm mostly bothered about the toilet-roll-holder-like dresses and where the put the battery packs in the dresses with the lights on?!