Skopje, 11 July 2023 (MIA) - Oliver Andreevski and Elisaveta Buloska will be the bride and groom at the 2023 Galichnik Wedding, a traditional event held on July 14-16 in the village of Galicnik on Mount Bistra, marking its 60th anniversary.

"I come from Galichnik, and the bride is from Ohrid and we have known each other for five years. I always talk about Galichnik, and it just so happened that this year we applied to the call by the local community and with great desire, love, and respect to our ancestors we decided to participate in the wedding along with our families, to get married in Galichnik with all the customs that are a part of the Galichnik wedding tradition," said the groom at a press-conference on Tuesday.

The bride said that she is pleased that their love will be immortalized at Galichnik. 

"Our love began in Galichnik. I am pleased that it will be immortalized there. Both of us are very happy, we are here to support one another," added Buloska.

Minister of Culture Bisera Kostadinovska-Stojchevska said that the Galichnik wedding tradition is more than an ordinary event, that is a real journey through time, a magical moment where generations come together to pass down the customs which are to be cherished.

"60 years of tradition, 60 years of joy for getting to return to the homeland, 60 of Galichnik weddings, a historic bridge between our past and present. A bridge between living tradition and modernity. A time to celebrate love, family, and community. On that day, when the bugle sounds, and the drums echo we are reminded that our traditions are protected, and the people are united around their cultural values and traditions. Every dance, every song, every pattern of the traditional clothes, every ritual conveys messages of our history, beliefs and traditions," Kostadinovska-Stojchevska stressed during the press-conference.

She also noted that the Ministry of Culture annually supports the wedding tradition, and that the Institute of Folklore is working on a paper that will result in institutional support for this unique and living tradition.

The director of the Galichnik wedding tradition, Ana Sarievska, informed that she has the responsibility to pass down the customs and traditions she learned from her ancestors to all couples. For that purpose, appropriate training is organized that all couples have to pass.

Aleksandar Kostikj from the community of Galichnik noted that there will be specific traffic regime during the wedding.

"Traffic with motor vehicles through Galichnik on Friday, 14 July, will be permitted from 9pm until 1am. On Saturday, traffic will be permitted from 6pm to 10pm, and on Sunday, 16 July, from 7:30am to 3pm. Traffic may be closed in addition to these set times if there is any need for it, and parking in Galichnik will not be allowed," Kostikj added. ssh/ik/

Photo: MIA