The bride Tanja Lepcheska, originally from Galichnik, and the groom Zlatko Dimovski will give this year’s wedding vows in the picturesque Galichnik. They will be the main protagonists within this year’s 45th edition of the authentic cultural and stage event Galichnik Wedding, which will be held in the eponymous village on Bistra Mountain from 13th (Friday) to 15th July (Sunday).

This year too, several thousand visitors from the country and abroad will witness again over 30 original wedding customs and rituals, followed by traditional folk garments, songs and dances that captivate with their authenticity, beauty and cultural value.

– We are proud that Galichnk Wedding was proclaimed most successful tourist happening for the last year by the Agency for tourism support, while New York Times and National Geographic listed it as most traditional wedding festival in Europe. These accolades are just another reason Galichnik Wedding to continue nurturing the Macedonian cultural heritage and be its promoter around the world – says Aleksandar Kostic, President of the Local Community Galichnik, which organizes the event.

Besides the other guests, the President of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, in the capacity of patron of the event, together with several other members of the Government, will attend the Galicnik Wedding.

– This event plays a huge role in the preservation and affirmation of the original folklore, traditional values, architecture and folk art, based on our cultural and national identity. In addition, Galichnik Wedding is also a unique Macedonian tourist brand. Because of this huge importance, the Government remains a strong promoter and supporter of this and other similar events in our country – said Robert Popovski, Minister in the Government of the Republic of Macedonia.

The support by many partners and supporters is certainly of great importance for maintaining the necessary level and continuity of this significant event. One of those long-standing partners, which, like in the past years, provided financial support and drinks for the participants of Galichnik Wedding this year too, is Pivara Skopje.

– For 94 years already, the tradition has been deeply embedded in the company culture of Pivara Skopje. Therefore, it is quite natural that we are part of this event which is a mirror of the tradition and cultural heritage of Macedonia. Additionally, the wedding is a symbol of happiness, togetherness and friendship as the values that connect our brands. That’s why they are an integral part of every celebration, including the most famous Macedonian wedding – said Lambro Patche, Public Affairs and Communications Manager in Pivara Skopje.

Traditionally, the beginning of Galichnik Wedding is marked on Saturday by setting up the wedding flag, as well as the symbolic act of shooting three guns from the groom’s house. The wedding ceremony of the newlyweds will take place on Sunday at the church St. Apostle Peter and Paul in the village and will be performed by the monks from the Bigorski monastery and the nuns from the monastery in Rajchica.  The wedding ceremony will end with the act of sending away the drum and the zurla players.

As every year, Galichnik Wedding actually marks the start of the Galichnik Cultural Summer, which will be officially open on Friday, July 13 at 22.00 hours, at the plateau in front of the Upija water fountain with the performance by Vlatko Stefanovski and the opera singer Vesna Gjinovska – Ilkova, the bands Toa e toa and Band off.

The program of this year’s Galichnik Wedding includes many additional entertaining and musical contents adjusted to all generations of visitors. For the first time this year, live stream or live broadcast from all event locations will be projected to a LED screen located at the plateau in front of the water fountain Upija, as well as on Internet and the social media.

Typical for this year is that after a long period, within the event, the traditional Galichnik Shepherd Meetings are reinstated as an inseparable part of the culture of living and tradition in this region.

The organizer of the Galichnik Wedding and other events within the Galichnik Cultural Summer is the local community of the village Galichnik, which this year too ensured all visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and feel the authenticity of the event. In this direction, local authorities issued an appeal to all visitors to respect the special traffic regime during the days of the event, especially on Sunday when all visitors will have to leave their vehicles at the spot Selska livada, a kilometer away from Galichnik, from where transport with minibuses will be organized to the village entrance. The representative of Pivara Skopje joined this and appealed to all visitors to drink alcohol responsibly, to drive safely and to take maximum care of maintaining the clean nature in Galichnik and its surroundings.