Abstract
The text is describing basic ritual purity and impurity, which is often the very essence of relations between the Roma and presents a view of how the Roma themselves frequently define ritual purity and impurity, based on author's own experience. The description of the "laws" of (im)purity incorporates an attempt to clarify some of the widespread notions of the limited existence of (im)purity, often predominantly associated with the preparation of food, with its storage and with its "age".
Interactions within Roma communities yield an opportunity to consciously or unconsciously observe manifestations of (im)purity, from which the degrees of relationship then develop within these entities. The conclusions presented in the text are based on the lived, personal experiences of the author.
Thus, the author does not rely on scientific conclusions in his work, but rather on knowledge that he has long observed in his relationships with Roma in an effort to contribute to the discussion of manifestations of ritual (im)purity through his authentic, personal experience. Although some of his deductions and descriptions may lead to a conclusion that is critical, it is certainly worth emphasizing that the aim of the text is not to critically describe the causes and manifestations of ritual impurity, but rather to describe them as inevitable, determining factors in the daily life of Roma, where all the sources of impurity are related to daily fear within their interactions with other individuals and families, and where they transform the status of persons who come into contact with a ritually (im)pure subject or thing.
The text uses terms that need to be clarified for better understanding. A "žužo" Rom means a Romani person who is ritually pure, i.e., who has not received things or food from an (im) pure Romani person, and a Romani person is also considered ritually pure if he or she is not guilty of violating the moral values recognized by the majority of Roma.
The opposite of such a ritually pure Romani person is a "degeš" Romani person, the opposite of the "žužo Rom".