The Kalaidzhi bride market takes place in the southeast of Bulgaria every year, where unmarried women are paired off with financially strong men!
For young Kalaidzhi the annual bride market at Bachkovo Monastery is the only chance to find a partner. Their Orthodox Christian faith and traditional code of conduct prohibit them from dating, flirting or having any other pre-marital relations. The Kalaidzhi – a name meaning tinsmiths or boilermakers – marry only within the group. Finding a spouse from outside – and in particular a non-Roma Bulgarian – is out of the question.
