Bitola and Thessaloniki based theatre with a joint play

Small Drama Theatre-Bitola and Solun-based theatre "Andreas Voutsinas" have launched the preparations for play "Rhesus" by Euripides, along with a joint exhibition of antique masks from comedies and dramas.

Project "Interacting through Acting: From drama to contemporary arts", funded by EU's IPA cross-border cooperation programme, started in Solun on January 26.

Seminars tackling educational and social themes will be held in Bitola and Solun within the project, along with other accompanying activities.

Idylic skiing resort Popova Shapka

Another beautiful day in Popova Shapka, NW Macedonia. Even though it's a working day, lots of people showed up to enjoy the pristine ski trails ....

Because of its altitude, the temperatures are always lower during the day, and significantly lower during the night.

Occasional snowfalls and frost across Macedonia

Mainly cloudy and cold weather will prevail on Saturday in Macedonia with occasional snowfalls especially in the morning. Frost is possible due to below zero temperatures. Moderate north wind will blow.

Temperatures are forecast to vary between -8C and 2C.

Similar weather is expected in Skopje with temperatures as low as zero degrees.

NORMAK Investment Group to manage Tetovo free economic zone

Norwegian consortium Normak Investment Group is the consortium that will manage the Tetovo-based free economic zone, said Economy Minister Valon Saraqini at Friday's press conference.

An agreement for public-private partnership is to be signed 30 days upon publishing of the decision.

According to NORMAK's business plan, the company is obliged to build 40 percent of the zone within the first three years, whereas the projected activities should be completed in seven.

The minimum capital investment is EUR 7 million, while additional projected investments should reach EUR 150 million.

"The decision for management of Technological Industrial Development Zone Tetovo is of exceptional significance, not only for development of the Polog region, but also for Macedonian economy in general. This will not only open new jobs, but also enable the entry of new technologies", stressed Minister Saraqini.

Indian businessman promises Ohrid Complex to be in World's top 10

Indian businessmen Subrata Roy said Thursday the tourism complex set to be built at the Ohrid Lake shore would be among the world's top ten.

"The entire project is primarily initiated from a business aspect. We do not want it to be an average complex, but one of the top ten destinations of this type in the world", Roy told reporters on Ohrid.

He emphasized that the ambitious project would be beneficial for both parties - Macedonia and Sahara Group.

I see the project's economic justification by targeting elite clientele from the whole world, in particular from India, Russia, China, Europe, he said.

"I believe that millions of India's citizens will come here as tourists. It is also the case with people from China, Russia, Europe. I don't expect a great number of guests from Canada, US. Its hard to predict who would our guests be, but I am certain that this project will improve the economic situation in your country," Roy said.

His host, Vice Premier and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski said a coordinating team of about 30 experts, as well as representatives of competent institutions and the Sahara Group, has been established towards regulating all legal, economic and environmental issues, as well as the Ohrid Lake protection as a UNESCO heritage site.

This is a large investment, which will substantially affect on Macedonia's economic growth during its construction and exploitation, i.e. the expected large number of tourists, Stavreski said.

It will be even more significant for Ohrid and its region, as the new complex will attract visitors at all times, which means thousands of new jobs and more work for small businesses (markets, restaurants...), Stavreski said.

The complex, considering its exquisite quality, will be promoted across the globe, which means a lot for Macedonia, Stavreski said, pointing out that it is an additional motivation for the Government to keep working on attracting foreign investments and making the country a better place for living.

The 'Saharayan Macedonia' complex, located near village Ljubanista, will include world class hotels, casinos, residential and recreational facilities and an international standard gold golf course.

Project 'Saharayan Macedonia' was designed by Atkins – a multinational engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services company headquartered in the United Kingdom. The design bears the signature of architect Tom Wright, who on his list of works of art also has the Burj Al Arab in Dubai - the world's only seven-star hotel.

Ohrid tries to enter Guinness Book of Records with 3.3 tons of fish stew

After Saturday’s blessing of Ohrid Lake on holiday Epiphany, the traditional winter bathing of the fishermen takes place Sunday in Ohrid on the occasion of the holiday John the Baptist.

As previous years Fishermen Day will include music and entertainment programme, hot brandy, wine, fried fishes and three barrels of wine for most skilled swimmers.

This year’s attraction is Ohrid’s attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by cooking 3 tons and 300 kilograms of fish stew. The fish stew is cooked by teachers and students of secondary catering school "Vanco Pitoseski" in Ohrid.

35 year old Dracevo man catches Holy Cross

Dejan Arsovski from Dracevo, Skopje caught Saturday the Holy Cross that the Head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church HH Stefan threw in the waters of river Vardar on occasion of Epiphany in Skopje. 

Thirty-five years old Arsovski participated for the first time at cross-throwing ceremony in Skopje. He said that he jumped today for his son who is one year old and he expected the Holy Cross to bring him happiness, health and success in the work.

HH Stefan, PM Nikola Gruevski and Skopje Mayor Koce Trajanovski congratulated Arsovski who was given household appliances, golden coin and blessed icon.

Epiphany liturgy began Saturday morning in “St. Dimitrija” church in Skopje. The Head of Macedonian Orthodox Church, Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia HH Stefan performed the Great Theophany Blessing of Water, dipping the Holy Cross and blessing the water of the river Vardar after that 173 believers jumped into the river and tried to catch the Holy Cross. The youngest participant in the ceremony was the 15-year-old Filip Lazarevski.

It is considered that the one who catches the cross will enjoy happiness, health and welfare all year long.

The traditional ceremony of throwing the Holy Cross was held throughout Macedonia, with the largest event in Ohrid.

The holiday marks two events in Jesus Christ’s life, according to the Christian Bible. The first event was when the three wise men, or kings, visited infant Jesus. The second event was when St. John the Baptist baptized Jesus.

Vevcani Carnival kicks off

The traditional masks of groom, bride and August the Fool will parade in Vevcani on January 13-14 at the carnival celebrating the departure of old and arrival of the new year according to the old calendar. 

The carnival honoring Saint Basil the Great is known for its archaic spirit and unique masks mixing pagan rituals and modern celebrations. The carnival takes place in the village of Vevcani, which is magically transformed into a theatre in its own right, free of borders, where every house, street is a stage for those behind the masks to perform their roles and play their games as true actors.

The event will unofficially kick off on January 12 with a concert that will include performances by musicians from Macedonia and neighboring countries. 

The main parade will take place on January 13, where the old new year will be welcomed outdoors in the center of Vevcani. The next day, masks will be set on fire as a ritual.

Come to Vevcani to see how tradition and predecessors are being honored, Pero Ilieski - the mayor of Vevcani municipality - told a press conference last week. The Vevcani carnival has been supported by the Ministry of Culture for the last three years. It is a great pleasure to be part of this event, Deputy Culture Minister Dragan Nedeljkovic said at the press conference.

For over 1,400 years the Vevcani Carnival has been an interesting mix of paganism and modernism. The main characteristics of the event are: archaism, secretiveness, and improvisation. Its particular features distinguish it from any other carnival worldwide.

During the carnival, the disguised participants enjoy every freedom and passion to 'place the world upside down' -- a freedom of spirit, creativity and a sense of improvisation, criticism, and sarcasm. Officially, women do not participate in the carnival -- they do disguise, but unlike men, do not take off their masks in the end.

In 1993, the Vevcani carnival, or more precisely, the municipality of Vevcani, joined FECC - the Federation of European Carnival Cities.

Number of passengers at Macedonian airports continues to rise

A total of 906,871 passengers were registered last year at the airports in Macedonia, which is a rise of 8.7% compared with the number of passengers in 2011, the Ministry of Transport and Communication says Friday.

An increase in the number of passengers was reported at Alexander the Great airport in Skopje - 828,831 passengers were transported in 2012, which is a 9.1% rise compared with the number of passengers in 2011. At the same time, a 5% increase in comparison to last year was recorded at St. Paul the Apostle airport in Ohird, which was used by 78,040 passengers.

There has been a boost in the number of passengers using regular lines as a result of introducing new direct destinations. 715,183 passengers were registered using regular lines in 2012, thus being an increase of 13% compared to 2011.

"After completing the project to modernize Macedonia's airport system, a continuous increase has been recorded in the number of passengers, flights and companies with direct flights to new destinations. Moreover, the rise in the number of passengers came as a result of the government-run project for financial support to stimulate and develop air traffic," the ministry says in a press release.

Vevcani ready for this year Carnival

The traditional masks of groom, bride and August the Fool will parade in Vevcani on January 13-14 at the carnival celebrating the departure of old and arrival of the new year according to the old calendar. 

The carnival honoring Saint Basil the Great is known for its archaic spirit and unique masks mixing pagan rituals and modern celebrations. The carnival takes place in the village of Vevcani, which is magically transformed into a theatre in its own right, free of borders, where every house, street is a stage for those behind the masks to perform their roles and play their games as true actors.

The event will unofficially kick off on January 12 with a concert that will include performances by musicians from Macedonia and neighboring countries.

The main parade will take place on January 13, where the old new year will be welcomed outdoors in the center of Vevcani. The next day, masks will be set on fire as a ritual.

Come to Vevcani to see how tradition and predecessors are being honored, Pero Ilieski - the mayor of Vevcani municipality - told a press conference on Friday.

The Vevcani carnival has been supported by the Ministry of Culture for the last three years. It is a great pleasure to be part of this event, Deputy Culture Minister Dragan Nedeljkovic said today.

For over 1,400 years the Vevcani Carnival has been an interesting mix of paganism and modernism. The main characteristics of the event are: archaism, secretiveness, and improvisation. Its particular features distinguish it from any other carnival worldwide.

During the carnival, the disguised participants enjoy every freedom and passion to 'place the world upside down' -- a freedom of spirit, creativity and a sense of improvisation, criticism, and sarcasm. Officially, women do not participate in the carnival -- they do disguise, but unlike men, do not take off their masks in the end.

In 1993, the Vevcani carnival, or more precisely, the municipality of Vevcani, joined FECC - the Federation of European Carnival Cities.

CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS IN MACEDONIA

Christmas is a holiday marking the birth of Jesus Christ. This day is the core of other religious holidays, because the birth of Christ heralded the beginning of a new era.

The Christmas celebration in Macedonia begins in the evening of January 5th, which is known as kolede. Children go from door to door singing Christmas carols, heralding the birth of Jesus, and receiving fruits, nuts and candy from the people. Later in the evening, the elderly people from the neighbourhood gather around a bonfire outside, and engage in a conversation about the past year and the year to come.

The following evening is the Christmas Eve, when a traditional oak log (badnik) is brought to the home. This log is cut by the father of the household and his older son, while the table is being set for the Christmas Eve supper (Posna Vechera). The dinner cannot have anything derived from animals, and it cannot be cooked using cooking oil or other types of fat. The traditional dinner usually consists of baked fish. The dinner is the last day of a traditional 40-day Orthodox Lent, which is done in a way to honor the Virgin Mary for carrying baby Jesus.

The oak log is cut into three pieces, representing the Holy Trinity, and each piece is brought into the house by the father. A member of the family receives a piece and places it on the fire. As this is done, the son and the father exchange a greeting: "Good evening and happy Christmas Eve" (Dobra Vecher i Vesel Badnik). While the log is being placed on the fire, the mother and the grandmother gather the children together into the room where the dinner is to be served. Each person carries a bundle of straw from outside, and together with the mother they spread the straw on the floor. The spreading of the straw on the house floor is meant to make the atmosphere more like that when the night Jesus was born. The house is decorated further decorated with oak and pine branches, representing the wish of the family for long and healthy life, "with health strong as oak, and with a life long as that of the oak."

Then the Christmas dinner is served on the same table that the Christmas candle is burning. As part of the dinner, homemade bread (pogacha) with a coin hidden in it (usually placed inside before it was baked) is served. The traditional belief is that whoever gets the coin in his/her piece, will have a particularly successful year to look forward to.

The Christmas candle is then lit, and everyone sings a Christmas hymn. Very early Christmas day, people attend the first morning church service. After the family returns from church, the first guests arrive. This is usually someone who is a dear friend of the family, and is especially honored during the celebration. The guests are met by the hosts, who kiss the guest three times on the cheeks and give him/her the Christmas greeting "Christ is born" (Hristos se rodi), and the guest replies "Indeed he is" (Voistinu Se Rodi).

These greetings are exchanged throughout the three days or Christmas. After the exchange or the greetings, the guest shakes the burning oak log and when the sparks fly up, he/she expresses his/her best wishes for the family. This is usually done in some form of rhyme, mentioning the Special desires of the family.

KOLEDE BONFIRES ANNOUNCE CHRISTMAS

Orthodox Christians in Macedonia will celebrate Sunday Christmas Eve (Badnik) - the day prior to great holiday the Birth of Jesus Christ – Christmas.

Badnik is traditionally celebrated before "St. Clement of Ohrid" church in Skopje where this year's Badnik godfather will be given the last year's Badnik Cup.

The event starts by hoisting Badnik flag and the Head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC), the Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia HH Stefan, will address the believers and give the last year’s Badnik Cup to the new godfather.

In Macedonia, celebrations began on 5 January, the evening known as "kolede", in which neighbourhoods gather together to light a bonfire, listen to traditional music and share food and drink.

This morning children visit their neighbourhood, knock at the doors and sing Kolede songs. The home-owners give the children candies, sweets, fruit and coins.

The family dinner on Badnik is the only holiday when you can find rich and poor gathered on one place. In the evening on Badnik, the closest family is gathering around the Badnik dinner.

The main event at this dinner is the cutting of the Christmas bread on pieces for each member of the family, one for the home and one for Jesus Christ. Inside the Christmas Bread there is a coin. There is a belief that who ever finds the coin in his/her piece of the bread will have luck the whole year. The coin is put in a glass of wine and the lucky person should drink from the wine.

The house is decorated with oak branches with their leaves on, representing the wish of the family for long and healthy life.