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     Galichkata Svadba (Galichnik Wedding) or Petrovdenskata Galicka Svadba (St. Peter Galichnik Wedding) is held every year on St. Peter July 12. It is full with very original, unique and unforgettable wedding customs and rituals. In the days of the wedding, the pipes whistle and the drums grumble "from Galichnik to River", with all underground and above ground echo to Bistra’s stone and to the sky. These companions of migrant workers in this part of Macedonia always announce the Galichnik Wedding, which has most wedding guests. The Galichnik Wedding in its existence has contributed to foster unique wedding customs and rituals of the inhabitants of this region, to preserve the original songs, dances, and famous Galichnik costume made with filigree precision and accuracy of the tailors. Each year a special commission chooses two young who are going to marry on the Galichnik Wedding. One of the prerequisites is at least one of the young came from Galichnik family. Every year during the Galichnik Wedding , many rituals that characterize this wedding are observed: the beating of drums, the mother-in-law’s dance , taking the bride to fill water,  setting the wedding flag, inviting the dead, shaving of the groom, fetching the bride, kneading the bread, wedding in the church "St. Peter and Paul, "and other rituals, which slowly die, but which contain and hide many details of inhabitants’ life in this part of Macedonia in the past. These rituals, played as their former originals, describe the history of the people in Galichnik, starting from the ancient times (the ritual "Inviting the dead"), till the modern ages (the ritual "Firing the gun"). However, most of the rituals during the centuries disappeared, some completely, some replaced by new. Also some of the former rituals can’t be held on the days of Galichnik Wedding because they require longer period to organize or last longer.  In Galichnik now live just two people, but on July 12, there are over 5000 people coming to see this Galichnik Wedding.In the past, sometimes happened over 50 couples to get married in a single day. The reason for everybody marrying in a period of several day is the return of the men who were working abroad in the foreign countries. They usually arrived few days before St. Peter's Day, got married and left their loved ones not longer than a month later, again.

GALICHNIK WEDDING

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