Young Virgins For Sale The Controversial Bride Market of Bulgaria

Every spring, the town of Stara Zagora in central Bulgaria hosts a controversial bride market where young virgins are paraded in front of suitors who bid on them. The market is the biggest annual gettogether for Bulgarias 18, 000strong Kalaidzhi Roma clan, a subgroup of the Roma people who face constant prejudice and exclusion across Europe. Unable to live off their ancient coppersmith heritage, the constantly sensationalised bride markets are one of the last surviving Kalaidzhi traditions. To find out why these medievalsounding markets exist in modern Europe, and how Kalaidzhi girls feel about being sold off, Broadly correspondent Milène Larsson travels to the village of Orizovo to spend time with a family with two daughters as they re preparing for the annual bride market. Click here to SUBSCRIBE to VICE Asia: Connect with VICE Asia: Check out our full video catalog: bit.