The Gelina of Ribnovo
This series documents a traditional Pomak wedding in the remote village of Ribnovo (Bulgaria), centering on the centuries-old Gelina custom, unique to the village. The 3 day weddings involve an array of customs and preparations that unfold in the village, revealing a wedding that is not a single event but a collective act shaped by history, faith, and return.
The Pomaks are a Muslim Slavic-speaking minority in Bulgaria, whose cultural practices have often existed at the margins of national narratives. In Ribnovo, the weddings take place throughout the winter, when many community members - seasonal workers who spend much of the year elsewhere in Bulgaria or abroad - return home. These cyclical returns transform the village into a site of reunion, where weddings function not only as rites of passage but as anchors of belonging in an increasingly mobile world.
Pomak brides wear elaborate makeup for their Gelina ceremony, in turn warding off the evil eye, and to symbolise purity and piety. Once ready, the bride is handed a ceremonial mirror to hold. She has one last look through the mirror, then closes her eyes for a procession all the way to her husband’s home. This custom can be seen as a ritualised transformation marking the bride’s liminal transition into marriage. These traditions endure not as fixed relics, but as living practices that intersect with modernity. While the visual language of the ceremonies appears ancient, the traditions themselves are neither static nor isolated from contemporary life.
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