In Bulgaria, Pomak Muslims marry in a rare winter ritual that predates Islam. The vibrant ceremony blends faith, color and symbolism and is unique in the world. In the Bulgarian mountain village of ...

Bulgarian Muslim bride Kimile Avdinova has makeup applied to her face during her wedding ceremony in the village of Ribnovo, ...

A Roma girl poses during an open-air 'bride market' in the central village of Mogila, on March 12. The "bride market" -- held four times a year on various religious holidays during the spring and ...

RIBNOVO, Bulgaria (Reuters) - Fikrie Sabrieva, 17, will marry with her eyes closed and her face painted white, dotted with bright sequins. She lives 'at the end of the world', tending a hardy Muslim ...

STARA ZAGORA, Bulgaria — Donka Hristova lets her mother pull her skintight mini-dress a half-inch down her leg. Checking her makeup one last time, she joins her two younger sisters in a provocative ...