Post by diane9247 on May 27, 2018 8:07:13 GMT
Kalaidzhi, a sub-group of Bulgarian Romani people, come from all over the country to attend the annual bride fair on the grounds of Bochkovo Monastery. Young people can meet prospective spouses, but cultural and religious standards must be followed. The approximately 18,000 Kalaidzhi (meaning tinsmiths or coppersmiths are Orthodox Christian and strictly patriarchal. A large dowry is essential, otherwise a young man (often just a teenager) has no chance of a good marriage. One way around this is bride-kidnapping, which results in the destruction of the girl's reputation. The kidnapper is then not required to pay her father for the "spoiled" girl, but the couple will be outcasts.
There is little information online specifically about the Kalaidzhi, though quite a few mentions and videos about their bride market. Bulgaria has many Romani sub-groups. Most of the information above is from this documentary:
Bride market at the Bachkovo Monastery.kmz (903 B)
EDIT: The KMZ seems to be broken, I'm trying to fix...
Another bride market location is shown in this video: Young Brides for Sale. The boys and girls interviewed dislike the custom, and it seems inevitable that it will change. It already has, as the mother of two girls said the custom was much more conservative when she was sold, against her will, by her parents to her husband. Now, her girls can agree or not and many families are now allowing this.
There is little information online specifically about the Kalaidzhi, though quite a few mentions and videos about their bride market. Bulgaria has many Romani sub-groups. Most of the information above is from this documentary:
Bride market at the Bachkovo Monastery.kmz (903 B)
EDIT: The KMZ seems to be broken, I'm trying to fix...
Another bride market location is shown in this video: Young Brides for Sale. The boys and girls interviewed dislike the custom, and it seems inevitable that it will change. It already has, as the mother of two girls said the custom was much more conservative when she was sold, against her will, by her parents to her husband. Now, her girls can agree or not and many families are now allowing this.