Galichnik Wedding Festival
Encyclopedia
The Galichnik Wedding Festival (Galička Svadba in Macedonian
) is an annual festival held in the Macedonian village of Galicnik
near the city of Debar
in which a selected couple gets married in the traditional "Galichka" style wedding. Traditionally the wedding lasted for 5 days with the main activities on St. Peter's Day (12 July) every year. It was the only period of the year when couples got married. Today it is part of the festival "Galichko Leto" (Galicnik
Summer) and it is a two-day event held on the weekend nearest to 12 July and it serves as a cultural and tourist attraction.
During the wedding, men dance the "Teškoto", symbolizing the suffering of the Macedonian people through the centuries.
Each year, couples from all over Macedonia
enter a competition run by the organisers to be the couple that gets to have a "Galichka" style wedding. Every year, a new couple gets the opportunity.
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
) is an annual festival held in the Macedonian village of Galicnik
Galicnik
Galičnik is a mountain village in the Republic of Macedonia and along with Lazaropole is one of the two biggest and oldest Mijak villages in the region. Galičnik has well preserved traditional architecture, including an amphitheater in the village square and is famous for its surrounding...
near the city of Debar
Debar
Debar is a city in the western part of the Republic of Macedonia, near the border with Albania, on the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality.-Geography:...
in which a selected couple gets married in the traditional "Galichka" style wedding. Traditionally the wedding lasted for 5 days with the main activities on St. Peter's Day (12 July) every year. It was the only period of the year when couples got married. Today it is part of the festival "Galichko Leto" (Galicnik
Galicnik
Galičnik is a mountain village in the Republic of Macedonia and along with Lazaropole is one of the two biggest and oldest Mijak villages in the region. Galičnik has well preserved traditional architecture, including an amphitheater in the village square and is famous for its surrounding...
Summer) and it is a two-day event held on the weekend nearest to 12 July and it serves as a cultural and tourist attraction.
During the wedding, men dance the "Teškoto", symbolizing the suffering of the Macedonian people through the centuries.
Each year, couples from all over Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
enter a competition run by the organisers to be the couple that gets to have a "Galichka" style wedding. Every year, a new couple gets the opportunity.