“Out of the agony we step, out of the soul is word, and on and on, day by day, for years, for centuries – eternity.”

Valentin Soklevski

Unlike many other people which even in the 19th century have developed scientific disciplines and cadre who arose national ethnography and folklore for their own needs, Macedonian people only after the World War II on the territory of Macedonia had succeeded to establish institutions that will treat the folk culture and tradition in a scholarly, professionally and in a competent way.

ФА “Цветови” Дедино, Радовиш (2008 год.)
FA “Cvetovi” Dedino, Radovish (2008)

 

At that time with great enthusiasm, a new sphere has been developed to continue the folk culture, presented through a great number of cultural-artistic associations and folklore ensembles almost in every settlement in Macedonia. This tendency enabled the continuity of the tradition, something that has been done in the circle of the family in the middle of the village at gatherings, celebrations on different occasions, to do it organized in the framework of the associations of the area of the folklore amateurism through thorough studying, education, and presentation of the authentic cultural values.

The wish to express and present freely the traditional values and significance led to persevering the two folklore festivals at 11th October 1947 in Bitola and Stip which were a true celebration of the traditional values. 1000 folk dancers and instrumentalists participated, members of groups, from all the parts of ethnical Macedonia.

“It’s a great pleasure for one to recollect the festival where we could hear the beautiful Macedonian songs from Povardarie, Pirin , Aegean region, Dolna Prespa and Golo Brdo which echoed and touched the ears and hearts of every Macedonian man or woman, while the view was recouped with the beautiful folk dresses and embroideries. At that time Bitola was a scene for competition of the folklore ensembles.”

Pece Atanasovski,
participant at the festival that took place at
11th October 1947 in Bitola.

With the abolishment of the Festivals in Bitola and Stip the enthusiasm has ceased, the original folklore groups especially those coming from small settlements, left on their own, with no professional help and finances, while in some urban areas cultural-artistic associations taken in by the new trends of newly established treated folklore following the example of some European experiences have adjusted their programme to a choreographical approach, while the traditional authentic presentations were left to be forgotten.
In such conditions there has been a danger to discontinue the folk culture, a danger to change the appearance of the basic traditional values and engrafting contents that were not appropriate to the beat of the people.