Roma bride market

The most important annual event for the Thracian tinkers is the gathering on the feast of St. Theodore in the city of Stara Zagora in Bulgaria. On this day parents present their daughters and sons who have reached the age of marriage within the community, and search for potential mates for them. The unmarried girls traditionally wear formal dresses and heavy makeup and the boys wear golden chains and rings demonstrating their family’s financial status. If a couple decides they want to marry, the families traditionally start bargain for the price of the bride. The price given by the groom's family expresses their appreciation to the bride's family for raising a beautiful and kind daughter. For this ritual the gathering is also known as “Bride market”.