Saturday Continued with Strumica! 2/25/12

After clubs in Tetovo, I jumped into a private taxi to head to Skopje and meet friends. This was quite the ordeal to organize, but turned out to be very worth it.  When I arrived in Tetovo a cab driver befriended me. He knew some English (I found out later, less that I thought) and gave me his number if I needed a ride sometime. It is helpful if you are in a jam, to have a number of a driver that you know will at least understand some of what you are asking!  So when I knew I needed to get straight to Skopje to make it in time for my next big adventure, I called the driver to see what he could do about getting me to Skopje in a hurry.  Long story short, his english was not as good as I had thought, but he was at the American Corner and got me safely to Skopje for a reasonable price!! I added to his payment a Nebraska stocking cap and some Baker's Chocolates!   I was in a hurry so I could make it to the driver that was going to be taking us to Strumica, Macedonia for their yearly (and very well known) carnival. 

The carnival has been held for centuries, first being mentioned in writing in 1670. It is held before the Lenten fast begins in the Orthodox religion. The carnival lasts several days, but we attended only the parade portion. The carnival is also recognized by the International Association of the Carnival Cities FECC. There is much pride surrounding the carnival, so it was no question that we had to attend!

The floats that went by had all different themes. They stopped in the center where they were announced and then did a little performance. Much like how the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade works. They travel the parade route, but do some sort of performance in front of Macy's.  We could not see all of it, but I was able to snap a few pictures!

Lesson: Every country, region, city and community has pride for something that makes them unique!