• News
  • Business
  • Donate
  • Features
    • Opinions
    • Arts & Style
    • Video
    • Photos
    • Interviews
    • Audio
  • About Us
  • New Americans Business Magazine
  • Contact
  • News
  • Business
  • Donate
  • Features
    • Opinions
    • Arts & Style
    • Video
    • Photos
    • Interviews
    • Audio
  • About Us
  • New Americans Business Magazine
  • Contact
Popular
Recent
Comments
Tags
  • U. S. 2020 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program opens Wednesday, Oct, 3

    October 1, 2018

    Feyi Tolani: An Advocate-In-Nursing

    November 1, 2018

    America’s Immigration Debate: The “Danger of Telling a Single Story.”

    February 13, 2017
  • Columbus Mayor Ginther in State of the City Addres ...

    March 21, 2023

    Ohio State Women reach for NCAA Basketball last ei ...

    March 21, 2023

    Rep. Dontavius Jarrells returns to alma mater to g ...

    March 16, 2023
  • Good job, sir!

    January 12, 2021

    I'm call Haji I live the dadaab comp I am a refuge ...

    October 12, 2020

    Narayan vai, you spoke the truth about the importa ...

    September 6, 2020
  • Zimbabwe Youths Youth Foundation Younger Ohioans Yoga International Day Yoga Day X Gender Passport Worthington Christian School World Food Day World Cup 2022 World Cup Workplace Women's Commission Women's Big 10 Women Basketball Women and Families Wisconsin Badgers Who wins Ohio 2018 elections? When DACA Calls Westerville schools Wellness Walk Weekend Weddings/Funerals Wedding banquet Wear Masks
  • Columbus Mayor Ginther in State of the City Addres ...

  • Ohio State Women reach for NCAA Basketball last ei ...

  • Rep. Dontavius Jarrells returns to alma mater to g ...

  • Ohio Governor DeWine Approves $575,000 for Teen Dr ...

  • Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine and Moms2B work to red ...

  • Amy Harcar focuses lens on White Hall City Council ...

  •  CRIS, Columbus Division of Police build Community ...

  • Norfolk Southern CEO appears before Congress

  • Arab American Bar Association of Ohio gives schola ...

  • Sophia Fifner becomes CEO of Columbus Metropolitan ...

  • Arab American Bar Association of Ohio gives schola ...

  • Norfolk Southern CEO appears before Congress

  •  CRIS, Columbus Division of Police build Community ...

  • Amy Harcar focuses lens on White Hall City Council ...

  • Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine and Moms2B work to red ...

  • Ohio Governor DeWine Approves $575,000 for Teen Dr ...

  • Rep. Dontavius Jarrells returns to alma mater to g ...

  • Ohio State Women reach for NCAA Basketball last ei ...

  • Columbus Mayor Ginther in State of the City Addres ...

  • Sophia Fifner becomes CEO of Columbus Metropolitan ...

Previous Next

Macedonian Festival 2018: A Mix of Colors, Music, Food, Dance and Tours

Posted by: New Americans Magazine , October 3, 2018

By Tatiana Bozhinovski

Every year, the weekend after Labor Day, is a busy weekend for the Macedonians in Central Ohio as they have their Macedonian Festival.  This weekend is a special time of the year because the Macedonians celebrate Independence Day. As they proudly share their culture, food, music and dances with the hundreds and hundreds of visitors, they remember their roots; they celebrate its history and make sure they pass their pride on to their children and grandchildren who were born here in the United States.

This year’s festival was a wet one, as the rain kept coming down for the whole three days. But the festivities went on inside the Waggoner Road, Reynoldsburg’s Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and under the huge tent behind the social hall.

The Macedonian men and women worked tirelessly for weeks before the event and made sure there were plenty of food, drinks and activities for the visitors.

The minute visitors came out of their cars, they could smell the grills and knew something good was being made.  They were greeted by the Macedonians who were working at the event, all wearing red and yellow shirts, resembling the Macedonian flag. The Macedonian food was delicious, as it was all freshly made and spread over many tables. The very traditional “kebapi” (skinless sausages) were the first on the menu, followed by kebobs, spicy sausages, roasted pork and lamb. The stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls were exquisite. There were also beans, rice and salads.  The visitors’ favorites were the home made Macedonian pastries and desserts. Macedonian imported drinks were also available.

Beside the food and drinks, the visitors enjoyed the tour of the beautiful and breathtaking church. By looking at the magnificent hand painted walls and ceilings, one could tell which stories from the Bible were depicted in each section. Members proudly talked about the paintings and were available to answer questions.

Once the visitors stepped outside, they could hear the marvelous and pleasing sounds of Macedonian music. A live band entertained all the visitors Friday evening and the whole Saturday. All Macedonians danced who were joined by many other visitors who experienced the Macedonian music and culture for the first time.  The best part of the outside entertainment was the performances of the Macedonian Folklore Dance Group “Makedonski Tanec”.

The group’s instructor, Sanja Mattern was born in Macedonia, but raised here in Ohio. She grew up around music and danced in a folklore group herself. She has been the dance teacher for the last two years, but the group was formed around 2009. The group currently has 16 dancers from age 3 to 21.  Some of the older dancers have been in the group since the very beginning. “Makedonski Tanec” has been very active in performing locally, nationally and internationally since Sanja stepped in as an instructor.  They have performed in Cincinnati, Canton and Chicago and also in Mississauga, Canada. They hosted a concert in May where Macedonian Folklore groups from Michigan, New Jersey and in Canada came and performed along with their hosts. The group has also performed at OSU for Kapustnik where they won the best performance and best costumes.

On her future plan for the group Sanja said, “My hopes are that we are able to continue to grow the dance group and continue building relationships and friendships with other Macedonian dance groups across the country.  Even from the few times that we’ve interacted, the kids are already building friendships among the other dancers and look forward to seeing each other at events. Historically, the dance groups would only interact once a year at the Macedonian convention. I would love to see more events where we are able to bring the kids together more than just once a year.

“I would also like to see if we can find more events to perform within Columbus like the International Festival,” she added.

This would be a great way to introduce the Macedonian folklore music and culture to others. Next year, the Macedonian Festival will again be held the weekend after Labor Day, so if you missed it this year, make sure you put it on your calendar. It is a guaranteed fun and you will definitely leave with a full belly. There is a lot you can learn about this community whose church is one of the most beautiful buildings in the area.

 

 

Post Views: 4,884

Tags: Macedonian Festival

Share!
Tweet

New Americans Magazine

About the author

Deba Uwadiae is an international journalist, author, global analyst, consultant, publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the New Americans Magazine Group, Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of the Ohio Legislative Correspondents Association, OCLA.

Related Posts

Columbus Art Festival returns after two years

By Okon Ekpenyong Columbus Art Festival returns after two years of being away due to the pandem ...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Advertisement

0
Popular
Recent
Comments
  • U. S. 2020 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program opens Wednesday, Oct, 3

    October 1, 2018

    Feyi Tolani: An Advocate-In-Nursing

    November 1, 2018

    America’s Immigration Debate: The “Danger of Telling a Single Story.”

    February 13, 2017
  • Columbus Mayor Ginther in State of the City Addres ...

    March 21, 2023

    Ohio State Women reach for NCAA Basketball last ei ...

    March 21, 2023

    Rep. Dontavius Jarrells returns to alma mater to g ...

    March 16, 2023
  • Good job, sir!

    January 12, 2021

    I'm call Haji I live the dadaab comp I am a refuge ...

    October 12, 2020

    Narayan vai, you spoke the truth about the importa ...

    September 6, 2020

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016

Contact Form


1+1=


American international journalist and author of "The Immigrant on Columbus Way: A True Life Guide To Settling Down As A New Immigrant To America "

Current/Past Issues

  • DailyNews
  • Hotels
  • Hotwire
  • Merchantic
  • Reference
  • Thesaurus
  • Urbanspoon

All used images are licensed by The New Americans Magazine.

Copyright © 2018 The New Americans Magazine | Layout and design by LiQiD inc