Perhaps the most potent tradition of the Pomak wedding is the Gelina ceremony, in which the bride lies in her family home for up to four hours while elaborate makeup is applied to symbolize purity and piety. The intricate process, once made from natural ingredients, has gradually incorporated modern cosmetics, decorative flowers, sequins and jewels. “It’s an emotional time,” says Kurunis, who was granted rare access to this sacred ritual. “It’s described as the moment where the bride dies as a maiden and is reborn as a woman. There are a lot of tears as she says goodbye to her old life.”
When the bride is finally ready to go, she holds a mirror in front of her hands, keeping her eyes closed in order to ward off the evil eye. She then walks to her husband’s home, while the whole village watches on, and only reopens her eyes in her new marital home, the process marking her transition into married life. The groom then removes the sequins one by one in privacy in a sweet ritual set to test his patience, while marking their new commitment to each other.