THE BRIDE AND THE GROOM OF THE GALICHNIK WEDDING ON A TRADITIONAL TOUR IN PIVARA SKOPJE
Poured by
Lambro Patce
“I look at you through my ring to enter your heart”… These are words that the bride should pronounce while looking through her ring and sharing her feelings with the love of her life. These words have been an inseparable part of the glorious ceremony of the authentic Galichnik Wedding.
The Galichnik Wedding is a symbol of our tradition and a true expression of the Macedonian existence, and it largely contributes to fostering and preserving the unique wedding rituals and customs. It is a bridge connecting the past, the present and the future. The Galichnik Wedding is a guardian of our authentic popular songs, dances and the well-known Galichnik traditional costume made with filigree precision and the highest accuracy of tailors, which as a national heritage and a carrier of a series of spiritual values of great importance for humanity is protected by UNESCO.
The Galichnik Wedding Festival lasts for five days, with most important activities taking place on St. Peter’s Day (12 July), a period in which the Village of Galichnik welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world in all its glory. Only once a year, the foundations of the Ss Peter and Paul Church witnesses the century-old tradition followed by traditional customs which fascinate us with their uniqueness, beauty and cultural value.
This year, based on the decision passed by the Council of the Local Municipality of Galichnik, which organizes the event, the bride Biljana Gegoska whose childhood dream was about to come true, and the groom Filip Belchev, were selected to be this year’s newlyweds.
Being a part of the customs of the most beautiful and the most famous Macedonian wedding is great honor and pleasure to all of us in Pivara Skopje, because this event is a combination of two authentic stories and traditions. Before leaving to Galichnik, as a part of the preparations for the wedding, Pivara Skopje hosted this year’s newlyweds, the bride Biljana Gegoska and the groom Filip Belchev, to get a first-hand experience of how our authentic and over 90-year-old story is created.
That summer, just one day before the wedding, I met the bride and the groom for the first time. They were young and beautiful, proud of the historical role they were about to play with the purpose of preserving and continuing the long tradition of their ancestors. The news about their arrival spread across the company in just a few seconds. Phones stopped ringing, keyboards got silent. They were here and all employees wanted to see them and welcome them.
The bride was wearing the traditional wedding dress composed of 46 individual pieces in red and white colors, weighing staggering 45 kilograms, yet, she stood up dignified and graceful. She was so patient and kind to everybody. At that moment, just like the skilful tailor spins the red, black and white yarns on the loom to create the Galichnik traditional costume, so our shared stories started to intertwine.
Biljana shared with us her story about being a part of this ceremony since she was just a little child and her dream about being a bride and part of this century-long tradition. Filip, a Macedonian language professor, mentioned that his wedding is following all traditional customs is a great honor and pleasure. Biljana is coming from a family with ancient Galichnik roots and her father is the owner of the equestrian club Bistra from Galichnik, meaning that she and Filip have no problems when it comes to horse riding as a part of the traditional ceremony and meet all requirements in terms of the wedding customs.
Then, we have switched the red, black and white threads on our loom for an orange one and shared with them our story which goes back for nearly a century. The bride and the groom were happy to hear about our ongoing programs such as “We Love Beer”, “Health and Safety”, and environmental protection, as well as our commitments towards permanent support in the area of sports, music and culture. Moreover, we shared with the newlyweds our dedication to promoting and protecting the cultural heritage of our country through the 40-year-old tradition of participating in the traditions surrounding the Galichnik Wedding as a unique event of its kind in our country and beyond.
As part of the ceremony, Kircho Stojanov, our Beer Production Manager, awarded our guests with special “Beer Ambassadors” medals. As a token of our appreciation of the Galichnik Wedding, Pivara Skopje revealed to them one segment of our beer brewing secret. At the end, as a sign of gratitude, the bride and the groom got special customized bottles of SKOPSKO with their names written on the labels, as a symbolic gesture which will surely help them remember their Galichnik Wedding with a smile on their faces.
Biljana and Filip, we wish you eternal health, happiness and prosperity.
