The President of the Republic of Macedonia Dr. Gjorge Iavnov, being this year’s patron, attended today the 47th Galichnik Wedding – a traditional wedding ceremony originally related to the Miachs, which reflects authentic customs passed through the centuries. 

The matrimony between Ljupco Ravanovski from Skopje, with origin form Galichnik, and Verica Mitricka from Kumanovo, was held in the Church of Ss Petar and Pavle in Galichnik, where besides the President of the state, around 2.000 visitors from the country and abroad were present.

The Patron of this fiesta, President Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, together with his wife, after the ceremony was completed gave the newly wed pair an icon portraying St. Kliment Ohridski as a present.

President Ivanov highlighted that the Galichnik Wedding represents a recognizable feature that attracts all those who wish discover Macedonia. 

“It gives me great honour, but also makes me really pride to be a patron of an event like this. The Galichnik Wedding preserves our tradition in the most authentic way, restores our customs, bestowing them for the future generations. The Galichnik Wedding gathers our diaspora, tourists from foreign countries and our citizens in one place, which makes it a recognizable Macedonian brand. Thus, anyone who tends to discover Macedonia’s authenticity comes at the very source of it – in Galichnik,” said President Ivanov.

Among the patrons of this year’s edition of the Galichnik Wedding was also the Ministry of Culture.

“To be part of this venerable tradition, the customs and all those elements that reflect upon our authenticity and originality, gives and amazing feeling. In order to foster high cultural values, the Ministry of Culture will continue supporting this event,” said the Culture Minister, Elizabeta Kancevska-Milevska.

This fiesta is part of the Galichnik Cultural Summer 2011, in frames of which yesterday a monument of the revivalist Gjorgjija Pulevski was disovered, along with the opening of the exhibition of paintings by Lazar Lichenovski, the founder of Macedonia’s contemorary painting.