Bulgaria, officially The Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It’s a Balkan nation comprised of a cultural melting pot with Greek, Slavic, Ottoman, Persian, and Roma ethnic groups. Among these, are Orthodox Christian Gypsies “The Kalaidzhi Roma Clan,” an ancient community of Bulgaria, known for their bizarre traditional beliefs and customs.
On the first Saturday of Orthodox Christian Lent (Fasting season), the whole town of Stara Zagora gathers to dance, have drinks and food, and chat with each other. Behind this merrymaking is an old tradition which is celebrated 4 times a year. The festival is held on a field outside the town were teenage girls with heavy makeup crowd the place. This festive but extremely bizarre place is locally known as the “Gypsy bride market” as young girls here are sold off to male suitors who place the highest bid.
Kalaidzhis were predominantly skilled coppersmiths, and as their trade has almost diminished, it has become hard to earn a livelihood. Due to the social stigma and discrimination, they face all over Europe, their crime rate, unemployment rate, birth and death rates, and poverty levels are higher than any other ethnic group of Bulgaria. In such a situation, the tradition of the bride trade appears as financial aid for the suffering community.
Because of the Kalaidzhi clan’s conservative values, young men and women are rarely allowed to meet with each other. Hence, during the bride market, young women who are often virgins, are accompanied by their parents to meet potential husbands who arrange negotiations for a financially beneficial marriage. Although these young girls appear as jovial as the festivities around them, there are many who have to walk all over their dreams only to be sold as a bride.
The documentary, “Young Virgins at Bulgaria’s Controversial Bride Market,” shows such girls Pepa and her sister, Rosi, who are brought up not to discover who they are and their ambitions, but instead to obey and serve their future husbands. Despite the family pressure and cultural obligation, 25 years old Pepa and 19 years old Rosi had weaved dreams of their own. Pepa wanted to become a banker while Rosi aspired to be a hairdresser but their short trail of ambitions was soon put to an end when the sisters were forced to drop out of school. This explains why 1 out of 5 Bulgarian women are illiterate and only 10% make it to secondary school.
Milene Larsson, the producer of the documentary commented:
The bride market is an ancient tradition essential to the Kalaidzhi identity, which is why this custom has survived, but these days most girls have an element of choice — albeit shaped by family pressure — when it comes to whom they wed.
“That doesn’t by any means justify the disturbing idea that women are property that you can sell, bid on, and buy, and how that shapes these girls’ lives from day one. They are brought up not to discover who they are and their ambitions, but instead to obey and serve their future husbands.”
Virginity is an important factor at play in the bride market. Most of the girls at the bride market are between the ages of 13 and 20. Pepa and Rosi’s mother, Vera, who was also sold to their father many years earlier, had a very articulate say in the matter.
“It is very important because a lot of money is given for virginity. If the girl is not a virgin when you sell her, they will call us whores, sluts, and disgraceful women,” Vera said.
Other than virginity, the beauty and apparent looks of the girl determine her worth. Tall, fair girls with blue eyes and blonde hair are the epitome of beauty. Due to this reason, most girls are seen wearing high heels, mini skirts, and other high-end cosmetics.
According to Vera:
Average bride price is around $290 – $350, but I was offered $3500 for Pepa by a family but I haven’t given her yet and for Rosi, I was offered even more. I am very happy when boys are bidding a lot of money. This means the girls are beautiful. The boys like them.
While the mother of “brides for sale” seemed happy about getting high bids for her daughters, Larsson was particularly intimidated by the bride Bazar tradition:
“I found it especially disturbing when I spent time with them alone and they talked about their fears of being married off to someone they don’t like, missing their families, and their secret dreams and aspirations that they couldn’t pursue.”
Not long ago, The Gypsy bride market looked like a slave market where the teen girls were lined up on a stage whilst men placed a bid on them. The highest bidder has prized with the bride and the girl had little or no say at all in the matter. Today, the girls are free to mingle and become acquainted with suitable partners. Their parents arranged the negotiations but young women still have the right to refuse their suitors.
Although the Scenario is a lot better today than it used to be, Bulgaria’s bride market remains controversial. It’s not only a violation of Human Rights but also a graveyard for dreams of Kalaidzhi girls who have no qualification to pursue their ambition and are resigned to their fate of being sold as a bride as tradition dictates.
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