The day after I returned from boys camp, I got to celebrate my first Ilinden holiday. August 2nd is the day in 1903 that Macedonia staged an uprising against the Ottoman Empire and although the independence from the Turks was shortlived, the day is celebrated as the country's first statehood in modern times (thanks Wikipedia). St. Ilija's day in the Orthodox calendar is August 2nd, which is how the holiday derived its name (den means "day"). My landlords, Dushko and Ljuba, invited me to join them for their traditional celebration of Ilinden. We left Bitola early and drove to the village of Dragosh, 17 kilometers (10 miles) from Bitola and near the Greek border. How near? Well, the church we went to, dedicated to St. Ilija, is about 50 feet from a crumbling stone wall that marks the border.
This occasion marked only my second time at an Orthodox service (the other was Christmas) and it was interesting to witness the traditions. The families all bring decorative breads that they stick a lit candle in and put on a table with wine vinegar, money, and a list of people that they want to pray for. There's another dish too that is made of grains (I think) that we took a bite of after church, along with the blessed bread. Everyone stands for the whole service which lasted about 75 minutes. I was greatly amused by one little girl who made several attempts to blow out the candles and several people were video taping the service, so nobody seemed to mind my picture taking. You can check the results out on Picasa.
After church, I ran into one of the little girls that comes to the American Corner, Ivana, and spent a long time talking to her and her parents. Then Ljuba and Dushko's son, Ratko, and his wife Bile arrived to take me and a few others to the village for lunch. Ratko and Bile worked in Canada for several years and brought back a Hummer H3 that they use for kite surfing. So yeah, I rode in a Hummer for the first time and it seemed quite out of place at that very moment.
At Ljuba and Dushko's village house, I pitched in to help peel peppers for lunch and this greatly amused the other guests. Altogether there were over 30 people there in the garden for lunch and I'm continuously amazed at how easy Macedonians make such large meals look and that they have enough real plates and glassware for that many people. I had not spent much time before talking with Ratko, Bile, and their son or Dushko and Ljuba's daughter, so it was nice to get to know the rest of the family. After lunch I also spent some time wandering in the family's grape vines and checking out the village, which is mostly comprised of crumbling buildings. From start to finish I was gone about 12 hours, which seemed like a lot coming on the tail of boys camp, but it was so nice to be included in a closeknit gathering of family and friends. I feel very fortunate that I have landlords who want to ensure that I have a good experience in Macedonia and call me "their girl."
This occasion marked only my second time at an Orthodox service (the other was Christmas) and it was interesting to witness the traditions. The families all bring decorative breads that they stick a lit candle in and put on a table with wine vinegar, money, and a list of people that they want to pray for. There's another dish too that is made of grains (I think) that we took a bite of after church, along with the blessed bread. Everyone stands for the whole service which lasted about 75 minutes. I was greatly amused by one little girl who made several attempts to blow out the candles and several people were video taping the service, so nobody seemed to mind my picture taking. You can check the results out on Picasa.
After church, I ran into one of the little girls that comes to the American Corner, Ivana, and spent a long time talking to her and her parents. Then Ljuba and Dushko's son, Ratko, and his wife Bile arrived to take me and a few others to the village for lunch. Ratko and Bile worked in Canada for several years and brought back a Hummer H3 that they use for kite surfing. So yeah, I rode in a Hummer for the first time and it seemed quite out of place at that very moment.
At Ljuba and Dushko's village house, I pitched in to help peel peppers for lunch and this greatly amused the other guests. Altogether there were over 30 people there in the garden for lunch and I'm continuously amazed at how easy Macedonians make such large meals look and that they have enough real plates and glassware for that many people. I had not spent much time before talking with Ratko, Bile, and their son or Dushko and Ljuba's daughter, so it was nice to get to know the rest of the family. After lunch I also spent some time wandering in the family's grape vines and checking out the village, which is mostly comprised of crumbling buildings. From start to finish I was gone about 12 hours, which seemed like a lot coming on the tail of boys camp, but it was so nice to be included in a closeknit gathering of family and friends. I feel very fortunate that I have landlords who want to ensure that I have a good experience in Macedonia and call me "their girl."
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