Culture Café: Macedonia, 12.04.2023

Our April edition of Culture Cafe was run by HSE Macedonian Club.

We find out about the national symbols, culture and traditions of Macedonia. We learned to pronounce our names in Macedonian and our hosts treated us to some delicious local dishes.

Here are some tips on travelling to Macedonia that we received:

- If we travel to Macedonia, we should visit the town of Kratovo, famous for its Ottoman-era stone towers and stone bridges. According to a legend, the most famous Radin Bridge was built by nine brothers, but the bridge fell apart during the night. The nine brothers decided to seek the advice of the local prophet who told them to bury in the foundations the wife that first visits the construction site the next morning. Out of the nine brothers only the youngest did not warn his wife not to visit, so when she came to bring them water and food the older brothers tossed her in the foundation and buried her alive.

- Kosturnica Memorial in Kavadarci is another important landmark. It was erected in 1976 to commemorate fallen partisans who fought for the liberation of the country during the WWII. The memorial is designed in a brutalist style and is made of concrete. It is intended to be reminiscent of a traditional Macedonian house of the late 19th and early 20th century, with its inverted verandas, stylized windows and spiral staircase. 

- If you are in Macedonia in summer, go to the village of Galičnik around 12 July to attend the annual Galičnik Wedding Festival. During this event, a selected couple gets married in the traditional ‘Galička’ style wedding. The festivities start on Friday night with the equivalent of a stag party for the groom. Then, from Saturday until the church ceremony on Sunday, a program of spectacles and events begins. The schedule includes the traditional dance by the groom’s mother, the bride filling a pitcher at the three fountains, 'fetching' the bride from her home, welcoming the marriage brokers, and saying farewell to the musicians.