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[size=75:34vr17az]Standart news 21 February 2010

Brides Get Cheaper

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[size=75:34vr17az]Beautiful Donka and her fianc?, Nasko were the most
popular couple at the market of whitesmith brides


A couple of hundred of Roma from all southern Bulgaria gathered yesterday at the first for the year bride-market of the whitesmith Romani clan near the village of Mogila, Stara Zagora region. Traditionally the eyeing of brides is made on St Todor?s Day ? the first Saturday after the start of the Great Lent. A horde of foreign media were also present to cover the picturesque gathering of heavily made-up girls and eager to marry boys. ?We have heard that parents sell their girls like animals,? Ralph Jurgen Schoenheinz from the Bavarian public TV in Munich explained his interest. Curiosity of the same type had brought a team from the British tabloid the Sun. Some of the Romani would make fun of the foreigners and bargain on tremendous sums for a girl in front of them, others would send them to the other side of the village where the animal market was held.
?For a nice girl, I will give 20я000 levs,? unwillingly says Petko Kolev from the village of Kolena. Most of the whitesmiths, though, say that the crisis is giving them a hard time. The craft is dying and any work, they say, is hard to find both in Bulgaria and abroad. ?I am not lying to you, I took this fine bride for a lamb,? says Todor from the village of Lovets. His son Nasko and beautiful Donka from the village of Dramata, Yambol fancied each other at a bride-market in Yambol. Their parents ? average whitesmiths, blessed their love. Todor gave a dinner for the relatives-in-law and agreed to make the engagement on St Todor?s Day. Thus on the market yesterday Donka and Nasko were the most popular couple.

Sally you should know better, there is many a good tune played on an old fiddle

Lots of misunderstandings of Roma community around, so I thought I'd share this- a fairly non-judgmental short documentary on bride fairs in Bulgaria. Imho, the buying and selling of women, often at a very young age, is a major social problem in Roma culture, but as you'll see here not all do it. Nothing to do with race, but sexism yes. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]