Torbesh Brides

When looking at MSNBC's 10 year Week in Pictures retrospective, I came across this intriguing photo so I looked into the Kosovo wedding traditions a bit more.

From Corbis...

Details of Kosovar Bosnian bride Senita Demirovic's face painting, as she stands in front of the house of her bridegroom on her wedding day for a traditional ceremony in the village of Donje Ljubinje, Kosovo, 04 August 2009.

The tradition, whose origins date from beyond living memory, is virtually viewed by almost all residents with universal pride as it has come to symbolize this place's special identity. The bride has her face painted to prevent bad luck during the wedding ceremony. Donje Ljubinje is situated in the Shar mountains that form the border between Kosovo and Macedonia. The inhabitants call themselves 'Torbesh'. Their language is a mix of Serbian and Macedonian, with a few Turkish words.

I couldn't find anything else about it. I'm still wondering if she ever opens her eyes.