The village of Galichnik is located in the area of the Galichka River in the western slopes of the Bistra Mountain, above the canyon of the Radika River, at an altitude of 1300-1500 m. An asphalt road leads to Galichnik through Bistra from Mavrovo Lake. 10 km from Galichnik is the Bigorski Monastery "St. John the Forerunner". Picturesque and enchanting with the beauty of nature corner of Vardar Macedonia, a cradle in the past of intellectuals, painters, woodcarvers, clergy and fighting people. At the outbreak of the Balkan War in 1912, 142 people from Galichnik were volunteers in the Macedonian-Edirne militia. After the Inter-Allied War, the village fell to Serbia. At the end of the 19th century, by 1918, 197 families had emigrated from Galichnik. Most of them settle in Bulgaria ... The Galich wedding has been a tradition for many years. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The wedding is held according to the old traditions, necessarily in folk costumes. A real transfer back in time ... The wedding in Galichnik is held every year on the feast of St. Peter's Day, i.e. during the weekend that is closest to this holiday.
In the past on St. Peter's Day, more than 40 weddings were held in Galichnik on the same day. This happened because the men from this area were emigrants and were returning home shortly before St. Peter's Day. This year the honor to be the son-in-law and bride of the Galich wedding had Ognen Karagiozovski, a native of Galichnik and Marina Petrovska. The bride during the wedding wears an authentic wedding dress from the region of Galichnik, weighing 25 kilograms and consisting of fifty pieces made with filigree precision. The event traditionally starts on Friday. It continues on Saturday with the bride's night walk on the water, together with the women from her family, for the last time before she starts living in her husband's house. The series of wedding customs culminates on Sunday, with the wedding of the newlyweds in the church "St. Peter and Paul ”, as well as with the performance of bridal and other dances. The Galich Wedding, which is traditionally held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Northern Macedonia, was attended today and during the three days by more than three thousand people, both from the country and abroad. Among the guests at this year's 46th Galichka Wedding was the President of Northern Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, with paternal roots in Galichnik. For our team, the trip to this wonderful area from Macedonia was unforgettable and emotional. Not only because of the views and the beautiful nature, because of the preserved traditions and beauty of the costumes and jewelry, handed down by the grandmother to the granddaughter for years, but mostly because of the meeting with the people from Galichnik, hearty and hospitable. Heartfelt thanks to all our friends from this wonderful place in Macedonia!
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