Children watch the wedding ceremony of Bulgarian Muslims Fikrie and Azim in the village of Ribnovo
Children watch the wedding ceremony of Bulgarian Muslims Fikrie Bindzheva and Azim Liumankov in the village of Ribnovo, in the Rhodope Mountains, February 15, 2015. The remote mountain village of Ribnovo in southwest Bulgaria has kept its traditional winter marriage ceremony alive despite decades of Communist persecution, followed by poverty that forced many men to seek work abroad. The wedding ritual was resurrected with vigour among the Pomaks - Slavs who converted to Islam under Ottoman rule. The highlight of the ceremony is the painting of the bride's face, where in a private rite open only to female in-laws, her face is covered in thick, chalky white paint and decorated with colourful sequins. Picture taken February 15, 2015. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov (BULGARIA - Tags: SOCIETY RELIGION)