BULGARIA-RELIGION-MINORITY-MUSLIMS-WEDDING

Emilia Pechinkova, a 24-years-old Bulgarian Pomak (Bulgarian speaking Muslims) bride poses with her fiance Tsanko Perchinkov following the "gelina" or face painting ceremony carried out by female guests and relatives in preparation for her three-day wedding ceremony in the village of Draginovo, 100 kms southeast of Sofia on April 22, 2016. Bulgaria's Muslim population is one of the highest in the European Union. During the Communist regime religious rituals were not tolerated, and Muslims were forced to abandon wearing their traditional wedding outfits. Recently, more young Pomak women want to include traditional wedding customs that were forbidden during the regime, regardless of their secular lifestyles and the high cost of such a wedding. / AFP / NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV (Photo credit should read NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images)