This finding refers specifically to the situation in Bulgaria when the manuscript was prepared (the 1950s) but is not valid on a more global scale.

Here and further down in the text, Shakir Pashov repeatedly develops in detail the naive and eccentric thesis about the Gypsies as the first bearers of the Bronze Age in Europe, first expressed in the 19th century (Bataillard, 1875ab; 1878).

Sri Lanka today.

Shakir Pashov does not cite this author in his Bibliography. He probably means here Jacques Goar (1601–1653), a French Dominican and Hellenist, but it is unclear to which of his books he refers.

Handwritten note in the margin of the manuscript: “300 AD”. It is unclear who made the handwritten notes here and below, but they are not by Pashov himself; perhaps the manuscript has gone through some review/editing (unclear when and by whom).

It is unclear why Shakir Pashov translates the word gadzho as ‘Romanian’. One can only find such a meaning of gadžo in Romania. In the various dialects of the Romani language (both in Bulgaria and around the world), gadžo usually means ‘a person who is not Roma’.

Father Paisius, also Paisiy Hilendarski (1722–1773), was a clergyman and the author of Истори́ѧ славѣноболгарскаѧ [lit. Slav-Bulgarian History]. He is considered in Bulgaria as the forefather of the Bulgarian National Revival.

Shakir Pashov means here Jeronimo Pizzicannella, a Franciscan priest in the Nikopol Diocese, and his work Бележки върху Никополската епархия в България от о. Йероним Пициканелла 1825–1834/1836–1866 (see Марков, 1947).

It is not clear what exactly Shakir Pashov had in mind, but there is a clear error because Stefan Zahariev’s book (Захариев, 1870) refers only to the Tatar-Pazardzhik district, and he himself died in 1871 (i.e. before the Liberation).

This refers to Bernard Gilliat-Smith’s translation of The Gospel of Luke (Gilliat-Smith, 1912).

Shakir Pashov means here the translations into the Romani language of two other Gospels in the 1930s (Сомнал евангелие, 1932; 1937).

This author is quoted directly in the text (Младенов, 1927, pp. 169, 254, 292).

This refers to the flag of the Gypsy guild in Sofia, which was carried during various festive processions. In the 19th century, under the conditions of the Ottoman Empire (later also in the new Bulgarian state), ethnically demarcated guilds (professional associations), including Gypsy ones, were common occurrences; according to established tradition, they had their own guild flags (see Marushiakova & Popov, 2016a for more details).

For the Peperuda [Butterfly] rain custom, see further in the text and in the comments.

So-called ‘самодиви’ (Fairies), ‘змейове’ (Dragons), ‘таласъми’ (Goblins) etc. are supernatural creatures from Bulgarian mythology; the English translation is approximate.

Crossed out, possibly by Shakir Pashov.

Added by handwriting by Shakir Pashov.

Added by handwriting by Shakir Pashov.

Today Pirotska Street.

This is the father of Shakir Pashov.

The lands are located near the land parcels owned by the Faculty of Agriculture of the Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski, then outside the city’s boundaries (today the Fakulteta neighbourhood).

Today, the Gotse Delchev neighbourhood. The former Gypsy mahala Boyana no longer exists today. In the second half of the 1960s, its inhabitants were displaced due to the growth of the city and the new housing construction, and most of them (including the family of Shakir Pashov himself) received apartments in today’s Housing Complex Druzhba (then Iskar Station).

Today, Hristo Botev neighbourhood, the so-called Abyssinia.

According to the data from the Population Census conducted in 1956, total of 197,865 Gypsies were counted in Bulgaria (Илиева, 2012, с. 67). Because in these Censuses, it is a relatively common phenomenon (both in the past and nowadays) for parts of the Gypsy population to declare another (most often Turkish or Bulgarian) ethnic identity, Shakir Pashov’s assessment of about 250–300 thousand people of Gypsy origin living in Bulgaria at that time does not seem inflated, but rather realistic.

This refers to the Workers’ Party, which for a certain period (1927–1934) was the legal name of the Bulgarian Communist Party (since 1919); subsequently (until 1948), the Bulgarian Workers’ Party (Communists) and then again, the Bulgarian Communist Party.

In fact, the Bulgarian Workers’ Party (Communists) announced the course towards armed struggle on June 24, 1941, immediately after the German attack on the USSR.

This refers to the Russian-Turkish war (1877–1878), as a result of which Bulgaria was liberated from the Ottoman empire. The term Liberation in the book refers to the outcome of this war. Further, it refers also to the outcome of WWII.

This refers to Bulgaria’s participation in the First World War.

This is about the so-called Women’s Riots in Sliven, during which the Gypsy woman Tyana Malakova (also known as Tyana Neva) and the Gypsy man Peyo Dimitrov Yonkov (known as Peyu Dachev) were killed on May 17, 1918 (see Marushiakova & Popov, 2022, pp. 80–81).

It refers to the Gypsy man Ibrahim Kerimov, killed by the police in Sofia during a demonstration organised by the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1919 (his name is specified by a note in the margin of the manuscript, although according to other sources, his surname is Kyamilov).

Today, Mladenovo neighbourhood in the town of Lom.

It refers to the Labor Bloc (also known as the United Front) – a political coalition between the Bulgarian Communist Party and the left in the Bulgarian Agricultural People’s Union, created in the fall of 1923.

‘Selkoop’ – Rural Consumer Cooperative.

The case of the Peperuda rain custom is a typical example illustrating how the Roma have taken up traditions that were forgotten or preserved only as a cultural heritage among other peoples. The ‘Butterfly’ (Paparuda, Dodola, Dudula, and other similar names) custom was actively practiced by Bulgarians, Serbs, Romanians and other Balkan peoples in the second half of the 19th century. In the first half of the 20th century, however, in the process of modernisation, villagers gradually stopped performing the custom themselves but encouraged the Gypsies to continue doing it (Marushiakova & Popov, 2011, pp. 3–4; 2016b, p. 48).

This refers to the rain custom German (Dzherman, Kaloyan, and other names), the development of which is similar to that of the ‘Butterfly’ custom.

In the sense of ‘true Islam’.

‘afuz’ – a title of honour given to those who have memorised the Qur’an.

Muslims in the Balkans (including Roma Muslims) usually celebrate two major religious Islamic holidays, which they call ‘Bayram’ – the so-called Sheker Bayram (Eid al-Fitr or Ramadan Bayram) and Kurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha or Eid Qurban).

It is not clear what Shakir Pashov means by the designation ‘Istanbul University’. At that time (late 19th and early 20th century), no university existed in Istanbul (except Robert College); it probably refers to the Islamic Theological School, which in 1933 was transformed into Istanbul University.

It is not clear why Shakir Pashov associates the presence of a Muhtar (Cheribashiya) with “European minority Gypsy groups”, although this is a legacy from the times of the Ottoman Empire (this is clear even from the terms used).

In the original, Shakir Pashov writes “lonzhii”.

Knyazhevo (Bali Efendi, Bali Baba) village is a popular place for excursions for the Sofia Gypsies. It is also a sacred place in which there is an Orthodox Church and the grave of the Muslim saint Bali Efendi. Sofia Gypsies make ritual oaths on the grave of Bali Efendi (called by Roma also Ali Baba) as well.

In 1919, the Bulgarian Workers’ Social Democratic Party (Narrow Socialists) was renamed the Bulgarian Communist Party.

Shakir Pashov refers here to the changes in the Electoral Act in 1901, which deprived Muslim Gypsies and nomadic Gypsies of the right to vote; as a response to this discriminatory act, the so-called Congress of Gypsies convened in Sofia in December 1905 (for more details on these events, see Marushiakova & Popov, 2021, pp. 33–69).

Waqfs are immovable properties granted to Islamic religious institutions at the time of the Ottoman Empire, the income from which is used for their maintenance as well as for other religious and charitable purposes.

The exact chronology of these events is not entirely clear. In all probability, this happened after the elections in 1931, which were won by the so-called People’s Bloc (a political coalition dominated by the Democratic Party), and in the new government, Nikola Mushanov is the Minister of Internal Affairs and Public Health, and subsequently Prime Minister.

In his text, Shakir Pashov separates the two societies (Naangle and Napred), which is probably a typographical error because it is the same word in two languages (Romanes and Bulgarian).

Shakir Pashov’s statement is not accurate. Gypsy newspapers and journals in Europe were published decades before the newspaper Terbie (see Roman et al., 2021); moreover, Terbie is not even the first Gypsy newspaper in Bulgaria (see Marinov, 2021 for more details).

‘feredzhe’ is a type of niqaab (women’s veil). Shakir Pashov crossed out the word ‘feredzhes’ in the text, probably because the Gypsies in Bulgaria did not have the custom of veiling even during the time of the Ottoman Empire.

In the original, Shakir Pashov writes ‘baba-ak’. From Turkish, in meaning ‘father’s right’ (translated by Shakir Pashov as ‘father’s merit’).

An omission in the original text.

For the celebration of the two Bayrams among the Gypsy Muslims in the Balkans, see above.

Shakir Pashov’s statement is not accurate. The organisation Istikbal was not disbanded and continued to exist after 1934, repeatedly communicating with the local authorities in Sofia, using its letterhead and seal in correspondence with the Sofia municipality (see the published archival documents below).

Regarding the year of the Gypsy Ball, there is clearly an error in Shakir Pashov’s memories. According to him, the ball was held on March 3 (Bulgaria’s national holiday) in 1938 (see also Neve Roma, 1957f, p. 4), but in fact, the ball took place in 1937, as evidenced by the numerous materials published in the Bulgarian and foreign press.

The premiere play of Gypsy Rhapsody is actually a free theatrical adaptation of the famous poem Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin, with many Gypsy songs and dances.

This refers to the Roma Music and Dance Group at the Gypsy National Community Centre 9th September (today the Community Centre Aura) in Sofia, 175 Alexander Stamboliyski Boulevard.

Mustafa Aliev (later known as Manush Romanov) worked at the Pleven Theatre at that time.

The play Koštana by the famous Serbian writer Borislav Stanković, which has a Gypsy theme, is one of the most famous and performed plays in Serbia (and later in Yugoslavia).

It is not clear to which of the publications of the famous German orientalist Carl Bezold refers Shakir Pashov.

Religious associations in antiquity connected with the cult of Cabeiri.

The author’s thought is not very clear, probably Shakir Pashov mixes the Roma in Romania with the Romanichals in the United Kingdom.

It is not clear why Shakir Pashov included in this series of names by which “Gypsies call each other”, the term ‘gadžo’ (i.e. non-Gypsy).

It is not clear why here Shakir Pashov uses ‘Gypsies’ (plural) and ‘Rom’ (singular in his native Erlia dialect) as equivalents; the plural in this dialect is ‘Roma’, and the form ‘Rom, Rrom’ for the plural is used in the so-called New Vlax (or North Vlax) dialects of the Romani language.

Shakir Pashov refers to Isidor Kopernicki, who is a Polish author (Kopernicki, 1872).

Probably, the author means the so-called Gypsy King Sindel.

The original has the year 1882, which is probably a typographical error.

The source of the Gypsy slave categories in Romania (more precisely in the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia) is not clear; the description provided has serious errors, e.g. Lâeshi (Gypsy nomads) and Vatrashi (sedentary Gypsies) are two different categories (cf. Marushiakova & Popov, 2009, pp. 89–124).

It is not clear what Shakir Pashov meant by “abolition of slavery” in Hungary and Transylvania (at the time, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire).

In the original, it is written France, which is clearly a mistake because what is meant is Romania.

The congress in Sofia took place in December 1905, and the participants in it, continuing the established administrative practice from the times of the Ottoman Empire, defined themselves as ‘Kopti’, i.e. ‘Copts’, in the sense of ‘Egyptians’ (see the published materials from the congress in Marushiakova & Popov, 2021, pp. 33–69).

The term ‘pristavane’ is a form of marriage in which the girl went to the boy’s house alone, taking only her most necessary things with her.

Here and below, Shakir Pashov uses the notions ‘Gypsy music’ and ‘Bohemian music’ (respectively ‘Gypsies’ and ‘Bohemians’, ‘Gypsy musicians’ and ‘Bohemian musicians’) as synonyms, influenced by the use in the Middle Ages of the appellation ‘Bohemians’ for the Gypsies.

It is not clear what Shakir Pashov means by the name ‘zhyumki propoki’.

In all probability, ‘Lebedov and Romel’ is Ivan Rom-Lebedev, the leading artist and dramaturg of the Gypsy Theatre Romen in Moscow.

In the original, the authors used the terms from Bulgarian folk mythology: ‘zmey’, ‘talasam’, ‘rusalki’ and ‘samodivi’.

This Chapter is omitted because it repeats almost verbatim Chapter XV of the manuscript (see above).

Parts of this Chapter are omitted because they repeat almost verbatim Chapter XVI of the manuscript (see above).

Here, we omitted three songs from the original manuscript, written in the local Bulgarian dialect.

There are some minor deviations (probably unintentional errors) in the texts of the poems by Usin Kerim in the Bulgarian language included in Shakir Pashov’s manuscript, compared to their publications in the press and in the editions of Kerim’s poetry collections. These poems are not published here, as they have been published many times, it should only be noted that among the poems included in Shakir Pashov’s manuscript, there are also those that are not present in Usin Kerim’s first collection of poems (Керим, 1955), but only in the second (Керим, 1959). This means that Shakir Pashov was familiar with the poems even before their publication (his manuscript is from 1957), i.e. he was on close terms with Usin Kerim and was familiar with the first versions of his poems.

The term ‘stakhanovets’ (stakhanovite) – from the name of the Soviet miner Alexey Stakhanov. A title of honor given to shock workers, i.e. workers who regularly overrun their production plan.

In Shakir Pashov’s manuscript, the poem by Angel Blagoev (Demcho) is only in the Romani language. The translation from Romani language is by the editors and Sofiya Zahova.

This is a famous legend about St Atanas, who invented the blacksmith’s tongs, which was widespread among various Balkan peoples (Попов, 1991). In this case, another motive (about the ‘golden finger’) is woven into it, probably a confusion with some other fairy tale.

A blank space is left after the name of ‘Sheytanov’. It is not clear what Shakir Pashov had in mind here – one or more of Dr Nayden Sheytanov’s publications (Шейтанов, 1932; 1941; Мир, 1934) or his manuscript The Gypsies in Bulgaria. Materials on their Folklore, Language and Way of Life (AIEFEM, No. 295 II) from 1955 (for him, see further below).

It was not possible to guess to which work of Miklosich the author referred.

We were unable to discover the quoted article.

Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, New Series, 1911–1912, 6 (4); 1913–1914, 7 (2, 3).

Shakir Pashov referred to Usin Kerim’s poetry collection Песни от катуна [Songs from the Tent] (Керим, 1955).