Young Roma women have been paraded before potential suitors in a Bulgarian ‘bride market’ (pictured) where families hope to arrange financially beneficial marriages for their children. The families gathered in Stara Zagora are part of a community of about 18,000 Roma known as Kalaidzhi, who traditionally make a living as coppersmiths. They are among the most poverty-stricken people in a deeply impoverished region and seek to forge mutually beneficial unions that will help them weather Bulgaria’s economic downturn.
Milka Minkova, 13, poses with her husband Ivan Ankov, 17, at the event which is commonly known as the ‘bride market’
A Roma woman hugs her daughter as she speaks with a boy.
A girl checks her makeup using a broken mirror at the market, where girls are displayed before prospective suitors