We all know Macedonia became Christian after the visit of St Paul....
However as the rest, Macedonians were pagan before Christianity.But what strikes me the most about it is that Macedonians are still extremely pagan something that is a very unique characteristic for the Macedonian people at present time. This are rituals, believes, superstition that have been passed on form generation to generation and some are extremely unique for the Macedonian people only. Correct me if I am wrong but I haven't done a lot of investigating in this area.
You all have noticed that Macedonians to present still celebrate certain days, they don't work in the fields on others, they do certain rituals that have nothing to do with Christianity but it's still such a common practice that one starts wondering where it all comes from and how old is it, could it be older than Christianity? And if it is wouldn't this be an area where one needs to study it more to identify certain group of people?
I'll give few examples that I have heard from my grandmother that were passed onto her form here grandmother and so on.
Celebration of the Sun or for Sun, a holy day that is still very common among old people where rituals are done on a certain day in spring so that there is Sun in the summer. Basically what they do is a group of women get together at middnight and go around the village with some spring flowers blessing fields, trees etc and whispering words as a worship prayer to the Sun.
Than they have another one for rain which I have done in the village when I was little. Again women take this certain herbs and put them in a 'kotle' and they go around with 'nane' and spray every house praying for rain (can't remember the words, I was very little). I do remember though only women and young girls could go but only if they were a first born.
Than you have the days for Earth, Fire etc.
Another one which is symbolic is for Snakes, or from snakes. Again there is this tree, you need to break a branch and you make it into a circle together with a red cotton and than through the circle you need to go and look around the animals, the house so that snakes do not come near them.
Than you have 'Luda Sreda' one Wednesday in the year where no one works or does anything in the fields or hard work at home. This is one that is taken very seriously because the belief is that thunder or fire will destroy your home and family.
Another one I remember is a one where girls should not be working any house work due to having painful period and child birth.
Also when building a house in the 'temeli' you always sacrifice an animal, sheep or goat, it's believed that blood is the strongest thing that can connect you to the land as well as it represents blood family.
When children are born on the third night older women go to visit the mother and child and in the night they clean the house and wait for the 'narecnici' to come and bless the child to be strong healthy and beautiful. There is a lot of different rituals around child birth. The cradle should not be facing west, light must be on for 40 days and the most important the mother and the child must not leave the house till the 40th day. Actually on the 39th day in the night the mother takes the child out of the house to her mothers house and her mother has different herbs, flowers and other things that she does this ritual with to bless the child in the outside world.
Also until the child takes it's first steps it's clothes must never stay outside to dry after sunset, they have to be taken in before.
When the child takes it's first steps the mother must make a 'blaga pogacha' and call all the children in the neighborhood to have some and they must run up and down the road ten times.
Others are you should never cut your nails or hair at night, and you should never leave your last peace of bread, that is your luck and you must always eat it.
There is a zillion of this still part of the Macedonian people's lifes and most definitively an area where alot of study can be done.
However as the rest, Macedonians were pagan before Christianity.But what strikes me the most about it is that Macedonians are still extremely pagan something that is a very unique characteristic for the Macedonian people at present time. This are rituals, believes, superstition that have been passed on form generation to generation and some are extremely unique for the Macedonian people only. Correct me if I am wrong but I haven't done a lot of investigating in this area.
You all have noticed that Macedonians to present still celebrate certain days, they don't work in the fields on others, they do certain rituals that have nothing to do with Christianity but it's still such a common practice that one starts wondering where it all comes from and how old is it, could it be older than Christianity? And if it is wouldn't this be an area where one needs to study it more to identify certain group of people?
I'll give few examples that I have heard from my grandmother that were passed onto her form here grandmother and so on.
Celebration of the Sun or for Sun, a holy day that is still very common among old people where rituals are done on a certain day in spring so that there is Sun in the summer. Basically what they do is a group of women get together at middnight and go around the village with some spring flowers blessing fields, trees etc and whispering words as a worship prayer to the Sun.
Than they have another one for rain which I have done in the village when I was little. Again women take this certain herbs and put them in a 'kotle' and they go around with 'nane' and spray every house praying for rain (can't remember the words, I was very little). I do remember though only women and young girls could go but only if they were a first born.
Than you have the days for Earth, Fire etc.
Another one which is symbolic is for Snakes, or from snakes. Again there is this tree, you need to break a branch and you make it into a circle together with a red cotton and than through the circle you need to go and look around the animals, the house so that snakes do not come near them.
Than you have 'Luda Sreda' one Wednesday in the year where no one works or does anything in the fields or hard work at home. This is one that is taken very seriously because the belief is that thunder or fire will destroy your home and family.
Another one I remember is a one where girls should not be working any house work due to having painful period and child birth.
Also when building a house in the 'temeli' you always sacrifice an animal, sheep or goat, it's believed that blood is the strongest thing that can connect you to the land as well as it represents blood family.
When children are born on the third night older women go to visit the mother and child and in the night they clean the house and wait for the 'narecnici' to come and bless the child to be strong healthy and beautiful. There is a lot of different rituals around child birth. The cradle should not be facing west, light must be on for 40 days and the most important the mother and the child must not leave the house till the 40th day. Actually on the 39th day in the night the mother takes the child out of the house to her mothers house and her mother has different herbs, flowers and other things that she does this ritual with to bless the child in the outside world.
Also until the child takes it's first steps it's clothes must never stay outside to dry after sunset, they have to be taken in before.
When the child takes it's first steps the mother must make a 'blaga pogacha' and call all the children in the neighborhood to have some and they must run up and down the road ten times.
Others are you should never cut your nails or hair at night, and you should never leave your last peace of bread, that is your luck and you must always eat it.
There is a zillion of this still part of the Macedonian people's lifes and most definitively an area where alot of study can be done.
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