Roma Romance

In the Old Continent paying to marry a young woman seems not to be a practice that belongs to the Middle Ages.

Roma ethnic group, one of the most numerous in Europe, is composed of a multitude of subgroups, present mostly in the Balkans. Among them are the Kalaidzhi of Thrace in Bulgaria, a seminomadic minority of around 18000 people whose ethnonym is that of their traditional craft of wandering tinkers, which nowadays has all but disappeared. This patriarchal clan is distinguished from others by the so called “bride market”. These days are often the only occasions in past when the young men and women of the clan are allowed to meet in person.

In the Western perspective this tradition is tantamount to human trafficking but the Roma see the payment as proof of the suitor’s pure intentions and a token of the good life they hope to secure for their daughter. The rite of engagement consists of bargaining between the groom’s father and the woman’s father over the price to be paid. This varies depending on various factors. The young woman’s complexion and hair length are factors which raise the price but the main thing to be taken into account is her chastity. The aspiring brides are often very young and have rarely competed the 12-year of school legally required in Bulgaria. Most all of them are married after having spent part of their lives doing household work under the supervision of their parents.

The use of smartphones and social networks together with emigration are bringing about changes even in a relatively closed and marginalised community such as the Kalaidzhi. Whether this will lead to anything like the emancipation of women remains to be seen.