How are the wedding Bulgarian mountaineers

On this strange pictures - wedding Fatma Ulanova and Jamal Sirakov from village Rybnovo. Residents of the Bulgarian mountain village, which belong to the ethnic group is Muslim Pomaks, famous for the unique wedding ceremony, passing only in the winter.
Girls Pomaks marry according to centuries-old traditions of his village, with his eyes closed, the decorated face paints and glitter, bright plumage and with a wreath of paper flowers on her head. Local wedding is so important for the residents of the village, even those men who work abroad, come to watch the ceremony.

For the people of Rybnovo their religion is more important than nationality. And they identify themselves not so much with some ethnic groups as representatives of their religion.

In the village of 10 priests and 2 temple at 3500 inhabitants.

The family of the bride's dowry saves from the birthday girl. Most of the dowry - a knitting handmade quilts, books, socks and carpets. In the morning before the wedding family members set wooden platform 50 meters long and 3 meters in height and hang it on the dowry.

Almost all the villagers come to see this exhibition, small courtyards in the days of the wedding turned into a sort of showrooms.

Then the bride and groom perform a traditional dance on the central square, joined by most of the young villagers.

But the most important part of the ceremony - bride prettification person - held on the second day after the wedding. Young cousin cover her face with a thick layer of white paint and decorate it with colored sequins. At the head of the bride wears a long red bridal veil. At the wedding, nobody drinks.

The groom, the bride's mother and her grandmother are young, dressed in a bright jacket and baggy pants, to the waiting guests. Bride forbidden to open his eyes until the priest bless the young couple. It is difficult to say when exactly did this tradition. Villagers face more difficulties than most Muslims in Bulgaria.

"In 1960, the banned Islamic music at weddings, and then - traditional costumes, and in the 1980s were banned all traditional wedding ceremonies," - says the mayor Ahmed Bashev born in Rybnovo.

The villagers earn their living from agriculture, but the low level of income in the poorest country in the EU causes men to seek work in the big cities in Bulgaria or in western Europe, and not least in order to make the wedding. Men of settlements rarely marry somebody besides Rybnovo inmates.