Folklore

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The best way to present the culture of one nation is folklore. Trough those folk dances and songs is presented the past of that nation, the tradition and the customs. With the folklore the things from the past became so close, like the things are happening today. The folk dances and the songs are spreading from generation to generation and they are carryng like the dearest gift of God. The Balkan folklore is very rish and various and well- preserved. On Balkan are happening many folklore festivals with participation of many folk groupes from Balkan and from the all over the world.One of the most known folk festival is Balkan’s festival is happening in the heart of the Balkan, in one small, but beautifful country- my fatherland Macedonia. This festival persist in my hometown Ohrid, one of the most beautifful cultural centres in Macedonia, town protected of organisation UNESKO. We open this festival with macedonian folk dances and songs. This festival is a chance for friendships between members of the folk groups . These are friendships for whole life. That is very positive on the festivals. There are many festivals on the Balkan in which we always participate. We show our tradition to the people from the other Balkan’s countries, which don’t have opportunity to visit Macedonia. We are always welcomed with smile and friendly relationships and ferveled with big applause. This is our motivation to continue forward with goal to spread our tradition to the next generation.I, like a member of one of many folk groupes in Macedonia, send a message to all nations from Balkan and world: “ Love the folklore. If you love it , you love your country, your tradition and existance of your nation.

Naumoska Ivana 16 YEAR SSMS "D-r Jovan Kalauzi" Bitola


The Balkan Festival of folk songs and dances is an international festival first held in 1962 in Ohrid,Macedonia and with a continuous traditional program since 1968.Ohrid summer stages tradionally host this festival from the fifth to the tenth of July.All Balkan and neighboring countries have participated in this display of original folk songs,dances,customs and rituals.Countries from around the world have participated and enriched its programs.In addition to macedonian ensembles,folk groups from Albania ,Bulgaria, Greece, Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,Slovenia,Romania, Hungary, Austria,Italy,Turkey,Cyprus,France,Spain,Holland,Germany,Russia, Moldavia,Poland,TheCzechRepublic,Slovakia,Belgium,Sweden,Denmark, Finland,Great Britain,Australia,USA,Canada ans Malaysia have taken part in this festival. "Ilinden days" Festival of folk dances and songs The cultural workers from Bitola and Macedonia,responding to the unfavorable situation in folk amaterisum in the late sixties,initiated the Ilinden Days Festival of folk dances and songs in Bitola,Macedonia which had its maiden program from 30 Jily to 2 August 1971,with the participation of 22 cultural and art groups and folk ensembles.The 27 Ilinden Festivals have hosted nearly 1.000 folk groups and associations about 30.000 dancers. Tanec - Folk Ensemble In 1949 was created a folk ensemble TANEC.One year later Tanec had its first concert on 24 June 1950 in Skopje and has since conquered the world music stages and famed the enormous Macedonian folk treasury.The first quest perfomance was in Liangholen,Great Britain in 1950 when Tanec fascinated both the audience and the experts and returned with the first prize.The Liverpool Daily Post called them the "Spirit of the Festival".Professor Taylor one of the world-renowned experts in this field,wrote:"This dance is a confirmation that a nation with great spiritual culture lives there and all the groups we have seen so far are either beginners or have bad style compared to them. Being the only professional folk ensemble in Macedonia,Tanec played an extremely important role in collecting,nurturing and promoting Macedonian folk songs,dances,clothes and instruments.Tanec has held several thousands of concerts,attended by an audience of several million in the past five decades.This feat was accomplished by nearly three hundred Tanec members: dancers,singers,musicians and managers.

Gligor Kusoski 16 years DSEMU "Gorgi Naumov" - Bitola,Macedonia


BALKAN FOLKLOR: MACEDONIAN NATIONAL TRADITIONS Folk customs were given a great importance in the past and so it is today. They are carried out in time of spiritual holidays, AND CUSTOMS in the fields when people start the harvest or in spring for the holiday called “St. Trifun” when people prune the vineyards. Also customs are carried at home, when giving birth, weddings, funerals etc. Some folk customs are characteristically only for some parts of Macedonia, but they are celebrated in all country. Folklore customs are carried for generations, and we can notice that in all parts of Macedonia, and they are same like before 100 years. 1. “DUHOVDEN “ (SPIRIT’S DAY): “Duhovden” is a holiday of the God’s Spirit. This holiday is carried all over Macedonia. Every year this spiritual holiday is in June, but always on a different date. Usually it is celebrated in three days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, but the most imported is the first day. At that day people go in church, and they clean the graves and decorate them with walnut leaves. In the church people exchange food, drinks and dishes, for the souls of the dead people. 2. “ST. JOVAN”: This holiday “St Jovan” is tied with the monastery of “St. Jovan Bigorski”. This holiday is celebrated for two days. First day of this holiday is strait fasting, even you can’t eat an oil. This is one of the most important holidays, which is celebrated in all parts of Macedonia. First day in one house in the village the woman make bread, with flower bought by church’s money. In the other houses are made another fast meals. The cooked meal is carried in the monastery, and the people from the village, and guests from outside, are celebrating all day. In the evening people are celebrating with dancing and singing. Before dinner the priest is preying and he christens water. It believes that this christen water is holy water that has power to heal, and every family from the village keeps the water for years.

Ratajkoski Dime DUSO “ Braca Miladinovci “ - SKOPJE MACEDONIA


When I was listening old Folklore Macedonian song's I was thinking why singing and why wrote down that king of song's. In the library of my relative I found the collection of old Macedonian Folklor song's which was collect and pronted by Vasil Hadzima nov in 1968 year. The song that I liked most is from Blagoja Temelkov from Kavadarci-Tikvesko in 1934 yaer. This is the text of the song.

Kazi mome istinata

Kazi, mome, istinata,
Ljubis li me, mamis li me,
Il sos men' se podigravas,
Da mine vremeto.

Snosti minav pokraj vazi,
Tebe, mome, ne te vido,
Srce mi se rastreperi,
pocna s'lzi da ronam.

Seci, mome, rusi kosi,
Pravi skala da se kacam,
Da ti vida belo lice,
I rujnoto ti grlo.

Ah, da mozam da razberam,
Bula li si, il' Grkinka,
Il' si mome Makedonka,
Ta si tolku ubava.

Completed by: Jankuloski Aleksandar X4 controller: Ilievska Hristova Borka school: SCCS "Zdravko Cvetkovski"-Skopje


These are pictures,which present the traditional Macedonian folk dances. On the pictures are the members of the folklor ensemble " Oteks" from Ohrid (one of the most beautiful town in Macedonia and the town who is protected from UNESKO). Through those dances Macedonian people express their feelings, their joys and sadness. The folk dances and the songs, also are the manner to express their militancy and wish for freedom and the way for better tomorrow. These pictures also show the traditional Macedonian clothes,which are different for different parts of Macedonia. We are caring for our traditional customs with organizing many folklore groups.Like the group shown on the pictures which we sent to you. On the pictures are their performances on the festivals in Turkey and Belgue.

Grujoska Elizabeta home: ul. Mihajlo Andonovski 6/14 7 000 Bitola, Macedonia tel./fax. +389-(0)97-258-650 e-mail:grujo@freemail.org.mk work: DSMU "D-r Jovan Kalauzi", ul.Ivo Lola Ribar 31 b, 7000 Bitola, Macedonia tel. +389-(0)97-34-851


Always closely connected with our motherland, the Macedonians lived with ceneturies with the tradition, they passed over from generation to generation and than creating new, rare and unusual substantial and spiritual culture with patriarh features.Macedonian folklore is developed as a reflection of the creative spirit and high values of the Macedonians.With colours, sounds and materials inspirated by life nad nature we create our folklore as a harmony of beauty peace and calmness.No matter how strong were the storms of reality, Macedonians together with their folklor passed throught the time with songs, tradition colours ect.Because everything has it's own meaning and reason for existing we'll pay attention to special parts of our folklor. The traditional costumes are the most obvious and numerous examples of traditional creations made mostly in red, brown, blach, and white colour.The red one is symbol of love blood and fire.The brown colour is symbol of stability, deepness and tenecity.The white colour has meaning of happiness, light and facility.The black colour is colour of night and mistery.They are not only an expression of partical necessities but also the deepest stuble inspirations of the Macedonians man in the processe of creating his own clothing culture. The sound of Macedonian mucic always follow our spirit because it's in our soul to sing and play even than the storms of life are above us. Together with our traditional music goes the traditional dences.Thesteps of the dence could be easy and that means the dence expreses happy feelings and if the steps are hard and slowly the dence expreses the bad times of the life. this three cells are just a small part of Macedonian rich folklor and the folklor is a mirrow of what and who we are.

The group of Kavadarci, Macedonija Lidija, Violeta, Nevenka and Stojanco


Easter and Easter eggs Easter is the greatest Christian holiday. Easter is a holiday of victory over death. A day when Jesus Christ proved his divine power and has risen from the dead. In the Christian religion, Easter is a holiday over holidays. Different dates of celebration of Easter of the Orthodox and Catholics are result of different time calculation according to the Gregorian and Julian calendar. From year to year the changes is variable, and it could be even 28 days. This great it’s real rarity, because the orthodoxy and catholic celebrates on 15 April. The celebration on the greatest holiday Easter has his own preceding holidays in the preceding days that actually presents marking of the days, that is, the events of life of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion on Golgot and his resurrection on the third day of death. The week before Easter is called Great or passionate week, and with the population is known as Deaf week. All the days of this week are known as great. St. Jovan golden - mouthed said that this week is great, because in it god made great deeds, he destroyed the death, he defeated the sin, took down the curse and opened the heaven and the sky become accessible to people. In that way they have joined with the Angeles, and God have reconciled the sky and the Earth. Christ knew what was gonna happen to him. Because of that he gathered his pupils on the last supper, known as Secret supper, and has told them that on from them will betrayed him. On this secret supper, Jesus had blessed the vine and bread, in which he established the sacred secret the Sacrament Eucharist. God took bread, he blessed it, had broken it to pieces and gave it to his pupils saying: “Take, eat, this is my body, whish is braking because of you and for forgiveness of the sins.” Then taking the glass of vine Jesus said: “Drink from it all of you, because that’s my blood of the new ledge, which is pouring for lots of people for forgiveness of the sins.” Very soon he was caught and crucified in Friday. That’s why this day is called great Friday, When Jesus was dyeing, a lot supernatural phenomenon has announced his resurrection. Great light has illuminated Golgota and has announced his resurrection. Jesus showed as god – human, he has been calling to his students for 40 days. Until this holiday a ceremonial Easter atmosphere is felt and the people salute among with the Easter salute “Christ resurrected”. There are many customs connected with Easter. Between Great Wednesday and Great Thursday, red eggs are painted. Great Friday is the day when no hard work is done. On this day shouldn’t even been cooked. After that the people go in church and everyone who leaves flower takes another one for health. Great Friday is the day when no hard work is done. On this day , Jesus was taken in to Golgota and was crucified on the cross. He gave his life for the benefit of mankind. This is the most severe fast. The believers come and bow in front of the Christ tomb and then they beneath him for health a savior which represents part of the beliefs in the Church for the Easter holidays. On Great Saturday the funeral of the divine body of God and the savior ours Jesus Christ is celebrated. The last preparations are made for the holidays. The night around midnight the people carries red eggs. Before midnight all the gathered with the song “Christ resurrected” three times round the church. With the fighting of the bells, the Christ resurrection is represented and it is greeted with the greeting " “Christ resurrected “ and the returning salute “He resurrected indeed” The Saint Sunday is the day when the resurrection of Christ is celebrated. On Easter early in the morning all the people go to church to receive holy communions. The great Christian holiday – Easter is celebrated three days. Great Monday and Great Tuesday are also very important in the celebration. The Easter eggs are a symbol of the Christ resurrection. The first painted egg is held under effigy. There is a belief that eggs painted before dawn have magical power and that they defend the house from various evil things. The first painted egg is held under the son.

Written by: Danica Stojanovska and Ilija Videski 2-a dentist technician translated by: Goce Gigovski 2-a dentist technician State Medical High School Dr Pance Karagjozov – Skopje, Macedonia

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