Happy International Romani Day 2020: The International Romani Day is observed intended to celebrate the rich culture and heritage of Romani people. The observance is aimed to raise awareness against discrimination faced by Romani community. It is popularly known as International Roma Day as well. The human rights issue of Romani people inhabited in Europe has been a debatable topic for a long time now. If you are looking for information about International Romani Day 2020, its date, significance, then you have arrived at the right place. April 2020 Festivals, Events and Holiday Calendar: From Ram Navami, Mahavir Jayanti to Shab-e-Barat & Easter; Know All Important Dates and List of Fasts for the Month. 

What is the Date and History of International Romani Day?

The International Romani Day, like every year, will be celebrated on April 8, which will fall on Wednesday this time around. The date, April 8, was decided to be celebrated as International Romani Day by the Comité International Rom (CIR) at the first World Romani Congress in 1971, in London.

However, the World Romani Congress was officially recognised internationally (by Czech and Slovak) only in 1990 – which was also its 4th session. There were several other amendments made which restored some pride of the Romani community. For instance, the word ‘gypsy’ was replaced with ‘Roma’, which was widely regarded as a negative term in the European countries.

What is the Significance of International Romani Day?

The people of Roma community form to be the largest ethnic minority in the European Union (EU). They are reportedly numbered at 10-12 million, of which nearly 6 million in the EU. Romani people are subjected to racial discrimination, poverty, unemployment social exclusion, and deprived of basic human rights – just as people who live in the world’s poorest countries.

The International Romani Day aims to address these social and humanitarian issues. It prohibits people to discriminate based on language, race, sex, colour, and rather promotes the preservation of linguistic diversity. There are several international events, workshops, and seminars held under the leadership of European Union, where they promote Romani culture and heritage and educate people about the origin and history of Romani people and much more.

The observance of International Romani Day aims to break the stereotypes and stigma faced by people of the Roma community. There are awareness drives and educational campaigns organised by the EU which speak about cultural integration and mutual respect amongst people. In 2017, the European Parliament adopted a resolution which was about combating ‘anti-gypsyism’ and providing fundamental rights to Romani people.

As April 8 nears, we at LatestLY, wish you all a very “Happy International Romani Day 2020”, and hope we make this world a better place where racial discrimination and social exclusion is a thing of the past.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 08, 2020 09:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).