Something a Little More Modern

Since I posted a few classic songs to this blog, I would be short-sticking Macedonia if I did not add a few songs that are a bit more contemporary.

Of course, popular songs produced by Macedonian artists reflected the popular styles of music over the past few decades.  Based on my conversation with others, Macedonia and the rest of Yugoslavia had a golden age of music during the 1980s with plenty of rock hits.  One of my favorite bands from the 1980s-1990s era is Kuku Lele (songs will be hyper-linked throughout this post), which I was lucky to hear at a wine festival this past October.

One of the things I was surprised to discover is that Macedonians seem to really enjoy Ska.  Ska songs are typically played a few times on the radio, and at Pivo Fest last year there was a ska band that played.  One of our local bands, the Hounds, also regularly covers a Ska version of "Take on Me."  The first Macedonian song that I really enjoyed upon my arrival was Africa by Superhiks, which is a tribute to the Roma people and their struggle in this country.

So based on the last post, some of you may wonder, what is Turbo Folk?  As I mentioned, most of the popular Turbo Folk songs originate from Serbia, as this random search on Youtube shows.  However, the problem for us Americans is that any pop Serbian song with a beat sounds like Turbo Folk to us.  One of the reasons why clubs in Macedonia aren't the most entertaining for foreigners is that Serbian pop songs by artists like Ceca and Severina are played late at night.  When we do not understand the language, all of the Serbian pop songs sound the same, and most Macedonian youth don't break out in dance when the songs play, but rather just sing along.

But Macedonia has released some very artistic songs in the past few years.  Karolina Goceva reminds me of a Norah Jones with a Macedonian twist. 

Finally, no blog post about modern Macedonian hits would be complete without a small shout-out to Tose Proeski.  Tose was a huge Macedonian star who was popular throughout the Balkans.  Born in Prilep, he later moved to Krusevo (where his museum stands).  He is of Vlach origin, and his songs are sung in many languages, including Serbian, English, and even one in Roma.  Unfortunately, at the height of his career, he was killed in a motor accident while traveling in Croatia.  Since then, many Macedonians idolize him.  To us Americans, it seemed very strange that so many people worshiped him with pictures hanging in shops and hanging from rear view mirrors, etc. (Some may remember the woman I met in Veles during PST who had his picture everywhere in her office, including next to an icon of Jesus and Mary).  An American can only think of comparing this idolization to Kurt Cobain or Whitney Houston.  However, Tose rose to prominence about a decade from Macedonia's independence, and given all of the struggles that Macedonia faced to that point, his fame may have given hope to a country which by some countries will not even be recognized by its name.  Tose was also a very giving celebrity, dedicating much of his time to charity and fighting for various causes.  Since then, no Macedonian singer has experienced the same prominence throughout the world. 

Народна Музика

Sometimes when I go to Bitola, we have a Жежо (Žežo) night.  Жежо is a kafana, or classic Macedonian restaurant, that caters mainly to Macedonian men.  Thus, frequenting this kafana is equivalent to a men’s night out, with rakija, salads, and kebabs.  Luckily, many weekend nights also feature a duo that plays Macedonian folk music on a keyboard and sometimes saxophone, which completes the whole experience.

One of the main cultural reflections of any people or country is its music, and yet many PC volunteers fail to write a substantial account of the local music.  I assume that the reason for this is that Macedonian folk music is not their cup of tea, or at least they do not take the necessary legwork to download and create a playlist for these songs.  For the longest time, I have urged my counterparts and Macedonian friends to send me a list of Macedonian songs so that I can listen to them and become acquainted with the music.  However, the Macedonian folk music never really sunk in until I attended these two recent weddings, despite my general proclivity towards Macedonian folk music.

Background of Balkan Music

According to P. Manuel’s Popular Musics of the Non-Western World, Balkan music from most of former Yugoslavia (especially that from Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia, since these countries were ruled much longer by the Ottomans than Croatia) share similar characteristics adapted from the Ottoman culture.  Popular instruments used in Ottoman, and thus Balkan, folk music include the gajda (similar to a bagpipe), a large drum carried at one’s side, and a clarinet-like instrument.  Of course, folk bands have adapted to more modern instruments, including the clarinet, the accordion, and the saxophone.  Singing is often vibrato, and the rhythm of a song can either be free-flow, or 2+2+2+3, similar to many popular Turkish folk songs.

Besides being played in kafanas, Macedonian folk songs are also played at weddings and larger cultural events, including slavas.  In regards to the themes of the songs, they are not often very complicated, but instead appeal to the core of anyone’s soul.  For example, lyrics often lament one’s hometown/ land, a love that was lost or that is longed for.  Therefore, these songs make for excellent drinking songs, and many Macedonians belt their voices in unison when they sing them.

According to my host brother, Macedonian folk music is recently experiencing resurgence, since many young people in the Balkans previously turned to Turbo Folk, or basically a Balkan version of electronic pop music.  Supposedly Turbo Folk (which is said with much disgust on people’s faces nowadays) became popular during the civil war in the 1990s because soldiers wanted something simple and easy to listen to.  Although many Macedonian folk songs have deep historical roots, many modern singers are making a name for themselves by adopting them and singing them professionally.

Provided below are a list of a few Macedonian folk songs and Youtube links with their modern performance. 

Odi Zvezdo (Naum Petreski) 

Ete Majko Resiv da se Zenam (Vojo Stojanovski)

Leno Mori (Aneta I Mollika) 

Ti Samo Ti (Marjan Kocev I Drim Tim)  (During this song, us PCVs usually point at each other when we sing, “Ti, ti, ti, samo ti”, which means “You, you, you, only you”)

Finally, I am providing the Youtube link and the lyrics for my favorite Macedonian folk song, Tugja si bez Krajno (Efto Pupinovski) 

Нашата света куќа
Нашето огниште
Тука си бевме среќни
Тука си растевме

И нашето дрво расте
На старото скришно место
Кај што се љубевме
И наеднаш се' ќе згасне
И летото ќе се смири
Кавал ќе засвири

[REFRAINX2]
Ааа...за една судбина
Оној што силно љуби мора да губи
Туѓа си бескрајно

Оној што сега молчи
Ќе биде осамен
Оној што сега плаче
Вечно ќе тагува

Исплачи се сега мила
Исплачи се така сама
На мојте рамена
И наеднаш се' ќе згасне
И летото ќе се смири
Кавал ќе засвири

[REFRAINX2]

TRANSLATION (roughly by me)

Our sacred home

Our hearth

There we were happy

There we grew

And our tree grew

By that secret place

Where we made love

And suddenly everything will end

And summer will wind down

The kaval (flute) will begin to play

[REFRAINX2]

Aaa… For one fate

He who loves strongly must lose

When you are away (another’s) it seems like eternity

He who is silent

Will be alone

He who now cries

Will eternally mourn

So cry yourself out, darling

Cry as you do

Into my shoulders

And suddenly everything will end

And summer will wind down

The kaval (flute) will begin to play

[REFRAINX2]

Wedding Season

It doesn’t take long on a sunny afternoon day to realize that it is wedding season.  Sitting in my flat with my balcony open, or walking down the streets of Prilep on the weekend, the day seems to be interrupted frequently by the honking of horns along the road.  Non-stop wailing of those car horns.  They notify the rest of the town, “this girl’s taken.”

Weddings are rare in Macedonia most other times of the year, but after Easter, they seem to happen every hour.  Bows tied along fences and doors of houses are further reminders that love has been officiated.  And they seem to remain there forever- my neighbors still haven't taken the bows down from their fence.  This year, I not only attended my first Macedonian wedding, but I attended two in one week.  Although the weddings share similar elements to that of Western (American) weddings, they also had their own unique traditions that reflect Macedonia’s unique history.

The first wedding that I attended took place in a swanky hotel in Veles.  My host brother from PST, Aleksandar, was to be wed with his high school girlfriend, Kate.  As I mentioned in a previous post, they had lived together in an apartment in Skopje since November 2013, so it was only a matter of time before they tied the knot.  I rented a room of the hotel with Allison, another PCV who also had the Zarkovs as a host family.  The hotel, Gardenia Hotel and Spa, was absolutely beautiful, even though it was still being constructed.  I was completely surprised that there was a hotel like this in such a small town as Veles.  Although there were not many rooms, it seemed that the place generated most of its revenue from hosting events (weddings) and by drawing in crowds from Veles at night (the alcohol was cheap, while the food was a bit pricey).

Unfortunately, Allison and I did not participate in any of the cultural parts of the wedding.  But once she had finished getting ready (which for a girl, can take a couple of hours), we finally entered the ballroom.  It was amazing to see so many people from Lozovo all dressed up.  It seemed that half of the town was there, and we quickly greeted and hugged all of the folks that we had not seen since March.  Luckily we were placed with some of Jagoda’s family at a table near the dance floor, and we enjoyed the typical wedding fare, which included salad, cold cuts and cheese, a baked potato, and the dinner.  There was also an endless flow of alcohol, as half-liter bottles of beer were continuously brought to our table.  Allison, half of Lozovo, and I danced the oro through the rest of the night and shared conversations with our PST family and friends.

The couple cutting the cake

With the host family from Lozovo

Oro at a wedding

Photo Cred to Allison

The second wedding I attended occurred within a week of the first, and this one was closer to home.  My host cousin, Dijana, was to be wed to her long-time boyfriend.  My whole host family looked forward to this event, and my host brother even flew in from Poland in order to attend the wedding.  This time, I took part in all of the cultural activities of the wedding, as my host family included me as a part of their own through all of the stages. 

First, we waited next door at Dijana’s place for Sasho (the groom) and his party to arrive.  And boy did they arrive in style.  The cars pulled up honking, as a line of people oro’d to the front door, accompanied by a trio playing traditional music on their accordion, saxophone, and drum.  All of Sasho’s family sat down in the other room, eating snacks and drinking alcohol, as Sasho attempted to enter Dijana’s room to take her as his bride.  Her friends prevented him from entering until he could give them enough money to gain permission.  Once he gained permission to enter, he was then tasked to put shoes on her feet, which of course were too big and needed to be stuffed with even more money until she could wear them “comfortably”.  From there, we oro’d in what seemed a 9m² room, and from there we made our way to the local church.

At the church, men were told to stand on one side, while the women were positioned on the other.  A few priests said a lot of words really fast, spitting the Word of God at the speed of Twista, and a few people lit candles and put ropes on the bride and groom.  Honestly, the ceremony looked like a conjugal baptism.  The only tradition I recognized was that pertaining to the crowns.  Eventually, Sasho and Dijana were donned crowns, and it was the best man’s job to switch their crowns three times without making the crowns collide.  Supposedly if the crowns touched each other at all during the process, fate would frown upon that marriage.  This tradition seemed like an unnecessary risk to take during a wedding ceremony.

We ended the night by dancing, eating, and drinking at a local hotel.  After, we all drove to the groom’s parents house where we sat, drank, and talked some more.  We did not return home until about 4.30AM, at which my host mother served us one last coffee before going to bed.  

*Addition*: Unfortunately, I did not film any of the reception of either wedding, but this Youtube video is a good depiction of what a Macedonian wedding is like (AND it is one of my favorite songs to oro to), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULUtzFe2wac

 

The bride with some of the family

The groom's party making an entrance

Oro in closed quarters

At the church

With the host family from Prilep

More oro!

Recent Events in Macedonia

So I am finally catching up to the current time here in Macedonia, in regards to this blog.  Now that I am finished posting about my vacation, I may as well return the setting to Macedonia.

My travels through Central Europe were limited by my commitment to return to Skopje by May 10 for the Skopje marathon.  As readers of this blog know, I did not run the marathon last year due to shin splints.  Unfortunately, I did not run the marathon this year for very different reasons.

At around 4AM on Sunday, about 4 hours before the race, I received a text from one of my counterparts.  It basically said, "Sorry, but the race has officially been cancelled.  Check the news online."  The announcement prompted me to share this with other PCVs who were crashing in the same room.  It was a major bummer, and we had no idea what to do.  But with adrenaline and disappointment already pumping through us, a few of us decided to walk around the neighborhood and try to find alcohol for a morning run.  We couldn't find any, since we were in an Albanian neighborhood, so we decided to try to sleep a bit more just as the sun was beginning to rise.

Why was the marathon cancelled?  Well, it seemed that there was a "terrorist attack" in nearby Kumanovo.  Even weeks after the event occurred, the details are still fishy and not completely clear.  But the marathon was cancelled because, first, there were rumors that these terrorists from nearby Kosovo were targeting an attack on the marathon, and second, the day was quickly recognized as a day of mourning for the 8 police officers who lost their lives battling this group.

This article seems to sum up very nicely all points of this messy situation, and it reflects the opinion of a lot of the people here in Macedonia.  I cannot discuss politics of this country, so I will stop short of presenting any of my opinions, but you can devise your own after reading the article.

http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21651262-after-long-political-ferment-short-burst-fighting-danger-or-distraction

Since this incident, things have calmed down significantly in this country.  However, even though it was inconvenient that the marathon was cancelled, it seems on retrospect like the right call.  Many of us just feel bad that some foreigners traveled from far away to run a race that was eventually cancelled.  For example, one man from China was prepared to run his 100th marathon, and even arrived in Skopje early to accustom himself to the roads, air, and elevation.

A few PCVs managed a quick run around the city on Sunday, and the energy was electric.  A few runners managed to run a part of the course, and we saw them march past the official finish line chanting "Macedonia!  Macedonia!"  Despite not racing that day, it was a good day to be a runner.

Group of runners marching to the finish line (Photo taken from Skopski Marathon Official FB page)

PCVs (from Macedonia and Albania) enjoying our morning run