Thousands of Roma families from across Bulgaria gathered for the traditional bride market, with bids of up to 50 000 leva (about 25 000 euro) from would-be grooms, Bulgarian National Television reported.
Negotiations were held at a church near Bachkovo Monastery, in central Bulgaria about 10km from Assenovgrad – the latter town, coincidentally, formerly held sway as the centre of wedding dress-making in Bulgaria.
High prices were demanded, and offered, in spite of the financial crisis that has severely hit Bulgaria.
One man, identified only as Sergei in the report, said that he had offered 40 000 leva for the bride he wanted. He said that prices depended on the beauty of the bride, whether she was hard-working and on her skills.
The bride-to-be said that she was happy with the transaction "because I love him".
The bride’s grandfather, Mitko, said that prices of brides only went up over the years, never down.
However, some young men went away empty-handed this year, because they could not afford the prices demanded during haggling. They would have to wait until this time next year, for love and better and financial times, the report said.
Kolyo, a bachelor from Chirpan, said that prices averaged 20 000 to 25 000 leva, often higher, in spite of the economic crisis.
Prices were about 10 to 15 per cent higher than in 2009.
"Brides are getting more expensive?" the television reporter asked him.
"Yes, like gas prices," Kolyo said.
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