As hundreds of Gypsies gather in Ewell today to pay their respects to Sylvie Smith, we look at the facts about Gypsy funerals past and present.

UPDATE: Gypsy family apologise for inconvenience as up to a thousand mourners expected for funeral

1 - Gypsy funerals can attract people from all over the country and floral tributes are usually on a grand scale.  It is not uncommon for a town to come to a standstill for a traditional Gypsy funeral

2 - When a Gypsy dies a vigil is kept over the body by family members.  Candles are lit to guide the deceased person to the afterlife and are kept illuminated until after the funeral

3 - Traditionally, if a Gypsy dies away from home, it is customary to take the body home.  If they died in a trailer, its walls were hung with clean white sheets and decorated with fresh wild flowers

4 - It is normal for a bonfire to be lit outside the home of the deceased

5 - According to Romany tradition, when a person dies, family and friends gather round the body and ask for forgiveness for any bad deeds they have committed against them.  They are concerned that if grievances are not settled, the deceased may come back as an evil spirit

Surrey Comet:
Gypsy girls on the Epsom Downs in 1910

Related story: 'They have been around as long as anything': museum curator delves into history of Gypsies in Epsom and Ewell

6 - Traditional accounts state that Gypsies did not like to touch their own dead and often an outsider, known as Gorgio, was brought in to help prepare the body.  The deceased is dressed up in their best clothes

7 - The coffin of a deceased Gypsy is usually considerably larger than their body as they are buried with any possessions which may be useful to them in the afterlife.  Traditionally, food has also been buried with the coffin to provide the Gypsy with sustenance for their long journey     

8 - In the past, any remaining possessions of the deceased have been burnt including their caravan, wagon, cooking pots and crockery.  Horses or dogs were often slaughtered.  No possessions were supposed to be left to be used by the living in case the soul of the deceased returned to claim them

9 - In olden times it was a Romany tradition not to mention the name of the deceased for fear that they may return to haunt the living.  For this reason, the name of deceased was not passed on down the generations

10 - As part of some Gypsy funerals, mourners toss coins into the burial plot as the coffin is lowered into it.  It is believed the coins are used for payment into heaven