Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Ribnovo chooses the most beautiful "gelina" bride

Photo: blagoevgrad.egov.bg

On the eve of the New Year, the most beautiful "gelina" bride of the last 4 years is chosen in the Bulgarian-Mohammedan village of Ribnovo, in south-west Bulgaria. 

"Gelina" is the name given to brides in the region. It is a unique tradition, where the brides are specially dressed and their faces are painted and decorated for the wedding. 
The "Mrs Gelina 2024" contest is being held for the first time and the winners will be announced tonight, reports BNT. 

"Our parents always told us, 'When you grow up, you will be a Gelina', and that was always our dream. We don't dream of wedding dresses, we dream of being gelinas," said Kadrie Kiselova of the Creative Community Foundation, the organiser of the competition. 

It is the wish of the people of Ribnovo that this wedding custom, which is already part of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage, will become world famous, that more people will know about it.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgarian teachers discuss the role of AI in education at conference in London

An international conference “AI and education: The road to innovative teaching and learning” brings together 50 teachers from the Bulgarian schools around the world on 4 and 5 April in London. The event, taking place under the national programme of..

published on 4/4/25 7:55 AM

Bulgaria is among the pioneers in introducing contextual learning based on AI

People are increasingly freeing up space for technology that they manage and keep under control. Artificial intelligence is quickly settling into this shared space. AI has been entering classrooms in recent years to bring the..

published on 4/2/25 9:38 AM
Burgas bridge

Burgas bridge lights up blue for Autism Awareness Day

Today, 2 April, on Autism Awareness Day, the Burgas Bridge will be illuminated in blue as a sign of empathy, the Municipality of Burgas announced. The day was established in 2007 by the UN General Assembly to ensure that every society creates..

published on 4/2/25 7:25 AM