Fun and festivities in Macedonia - celebrations, festivals and cultural events

Macedonia is one of the most mysterious European countries. Everyone who comes here discovers amazing natural treasures and the ruins of ancient buildings. Macedonian culture is a fusion of contrasts; it absorbed the traditions and customs of several neighboring peoples: ancient Macedonians, Serbs, Bulgarians, Greeks, Albanians, and Turks. A country of enchanting landscapes, it is certainly worth visiting during days of great festivities, which in the culture of Macedonia are quite a lot. Each Macedonian or religious celebrations are awaited with much excitement. The people joyfully anticipate the wonderful opportunity to enjoy coziness in the family circle and remember the centuries-old customs. A large part of the Macedonian festivities is dedicated to the dates of the events of the long battle of the people for independence.

New Year in Macedonia is celebrated the same way as in all Western countries. During the celebrations, the achievements of the outgoing year are summed up, and the hopes for the coming year are listed. The lively festival engulfs the whole country and lasts until morning. After the marking of the New Year, Macedonians begin to prepare for the Orthodox Christmas, which falls at the beginning of January. For this holiday, the houses are decorated with plants. On Christmas Eve the family gathers for a traditional dinner, and the children perform Christmas carols. Another important religious holiday is Easter, which is celebrated on Sunday after the first spring’s full moon. The days before Easter are the Holy Week, when the Macedonians paint their eggs and prepare for the Sunday celebration. On Good Friday, everyone goes to church, and on Easter Sunday visit relatives and friends bearing gifts.

On the day of Saints Cyril and Methodius (Christian preachers who created Glagolitic script and converted Macedonians to Christianity), solemn church services are held. At the State level, various educational and cultural events are organized, during which a tribute is paid to the memory of the outstanding Saints. One of the central national holidays is Labor Day, celebrated in Macedonia on the first day of May. On this day, festive rallies are held as a sign of solidarity among the working people. Residents of the country go out of town with family and friends, arrange picnics on the shores of lakes or barbecues in city parks, and enjoy the fresh air and nature around them. In early August, St. Elijah’s Day is celebrated. It is connected with the long struggle of the Macedonians for Independence. On this day there was the memorable Ilinden uprising. In the cities, parades of riders are organized. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In the beginning of autumn another important National Holiday is celebrated – the Independence Day of Macedonia. It marks the date of the 1991 referendum, meaningful for all ethnic Macedonians, after which the country gained sovereignty and became a Parliamentary Republic. Within the framework of the festival, large-scale parades, street processions, patriotic activities, and evening fireworks are held. At the end of October, Macedonia marks the Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary War, dedicated to the events of the 19th century. At that time, in the Greek Thessaloniki, a revolution was raised, overthrowing the Ottoman rulers and returning the territories to the Macedonians.

Macedonia is the country of two world-famous carnivals. The March Carnival in Strumice is a centuries-old celebration dedicated to brides. In the days of the carnival, Macedonian men wear smart clothes and masks, and then go to the homes of the ladies with merry songs. Each Macedonian girl of marriageable age is to try guessing which mask her lover or fiancé is hidden behind. After the street festivities, a contest is held for the best mask and the crowning of the King and Queen of the holiday. Every year the carnival in Strumice gathers more and more guests from different countries of the world. Vevcani Carnival is the legacy of pagan rituals. For fourteen centuries, on this day villagers have been trying on extravagant outfits and taking to the streets to take part in the carnival procession. Every year the event is devoted to a certain theme. The mummers walk all night, and with the rising of the sun they go to the springs for water.

The colorful “Galichnik Wedding Festival” reveals all the wealth of the cultural past of Macedonia. Every year, twenty pairs of newlyweds from different parts of the country choose to participate in the wedding festival. Grooms and brides dress up in national costumes. The ceremony of “marriage” includes thirty magnificent ceremonies, which lasts for a duration of two days. Among them is an engagement, “miai”, invoking the spirits of deceased ancestors, a groom shaving, a mother-in-law’s dance, you name it. The action takes place in an atmosphere of fun and dance to live folk music. Everything ends with village festivities at a table full of refreshments. The May Spring Fair in Skopje, the July Balkan Festival of folk songs and dances in Ohrid, the August festival “Struga Poetry Evenings”, the “Ohrid summer” music festival, the autumn festival of jazz music and the October festival of harvesting fruits and grapes on Lake Prespa are some of the other celebrations that would be of interest to tourists.