North Macedonia tells its story to the world in Dubai
A bride and a knight made of stone... Details from the story of a homeland in the "Expo"
The sculptures on display in the pavilion tell of the culture of the Slavic Macedonians.
Sculpture of the Macedonian soldier Zoelos and the serpent.
Bridal costumes decorate the North Macedonia Pavilion.
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Each country participating in Expo 2020 Dubai has its own way of telling its story to the world and attracting it to know it, such as the Republic of North Macedonia, which chose in its pavilion at the International Exhibition the bride’s dresses and selected sculptures of soldiers and knights from the past to introduce its heritage and ancient civilization. Antiques and art collectibles were distributed comfortably for the eye and movement in a courtyard in the middle of which two mannequins were decorated with the national dress of North Macedonia, specifically the bride's clothes. These very brief details lead to the discovery of strange and deep tales, mythical stories and symbols, all rooted in the cultural conscience of peoples, and made over time many of the meanings of their customs and ways of life, and contributed to the formation of their daily living style.
The visit of "Emirates Today" to the North Macedonia Pavilion, which is located in the "Expo Opportunities" area, shows that women's adornment with very beautiful attire, and highly-designed jewelry - as it appears in the clothes of a bride from the village of "Papradist" - occupies a great place in the customs and culture of that country However, it differs in the degree of its quality and its trimmings, according to the regions and ethnic group that wears it, and according to the type of profession and social level that determines the type of fabric used and the method of design, so that the outfit, for example, matches the place of settlement and life of the wearer, to be consistent with the mountainous nature, for example. , or with the agricultural nature of the peasants.
bright colours
It seems that weaving and embroidering the fashion and jewelry that women wear adorning their dresses and necks, as shown in the dress of a bride from the village of “Karni Verv”, occupies an importance in the life of the people in that region, which shares the basic features of its traditional dress with countries in Eastern Europe, such as Serbia and Kosovo. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania.
The traditional clothing designs of women in those countries indicate their agreement - regardless of regions - on the bright colors in the dense embroidery that characterize the various pieces of clothing.
Traditional women's clothing consists of a jacket in the form of a tunic embellished with silver and bronze metallic embellishments and colored woven ropes, as well as skirts and long embroidered trousers worn with skirts, and sleeveless coats.
Women also wear headscarves and stockings up to the knees.
The decorative designs woven into the traditional waistcoats ("coats") that are worn over the shirts, are delicate and stylized and rich in embroidery that covers them and enriches all the vocabulary of the national costume from A to Z.
immortality symbol
In another corner of the North Macedonia pavilion, there is another account from that country, told by a stone carving of what is known as the "Zeulos monument", which is displayed in the Archeology Museum in the capital, Skopje. The monument depicts a Macedonian soldier from one of the dynasties of the Argida dynasty, which, according to historians, is the founding and ruling dynasty of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 700 to 310 BC, from which a number of successive dynasties descended from the rule of ancient Macedonia, including the Greeks, from which references indicate the possibility of That Zoelus is the son of Aesolaus, one of her sons. The monument depicts the soldier Zoelos with a shield to his chest, and in his right arm he holds a spear with a snake sticking out of his head, which is wrapped around standing at his side. In the ancient Greek civilization, the serpent symbolizes the renewal of life, prosperity, and rebirth by defeating evil. Throughout ancient philosophies and civilizations, the snake was a symbol of strength and renewal because of its ability to take off its skin and re-create it again at a stage of its life.This is due to the snake's ability to kill and heal together, which made it throughout history a symbol of fertility, rebirth and immortality, and an image of life and death at the same time, and also a symbol of the power of good and evil.
Historic milestone
The North Macedonia Pavilion also displays film materials depicting the most ancient religious monuments in a country where the Macedonian Slavic Orthodox converts to Christianity make up more than 60% of its population.
The visual display shows the St. Jovan-Bigorsky Monastery, which is one of the most important Christian monuments for residents and tourists, as it houses the sacred icon of Saint John the Baptist, which was found at the beginning of the 11th century by the founder of the monastery, the monk John I.
• Embroidery enriches all the vocabulary of the national costume in North Macedonia from A to Z.
• The "Papradist" bride is adorned with a very beautiful dress and delicately designed jewelry.
about the name
The name Macedonia has been repeated a lot during the past years, which witnessed a 27-year dispute between it and Greece over the name it chose following its separation from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, which was resolved in 2018 after an agreement to name it North Macedonia, instead of the name "Macedonia", which It is named after the region in present-day northern Greece bordering North Macedonia.
The Republic of North Macedonia is located in the center of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is a landlocked country, bordered by Kosovo to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Albania to the west, and Greece to the south.