SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — St. George Macedonian Orthodox Church will host their annual Macedonian Festival this weekend.
This year will be the 20th anniversary of the festival.
During the fun-filled weekend, St. George Orthodox will be the venue for traditional Macedonian music, dancing, and authentic cuisine. Bottles of Macedonian wine, including highly valuable Domaine Lepovo bottles, will be sold at the event. Lepovo only makes 70,000 bottles a year.
Children can get involved in the celebration, where they can learn traditional Macedonian dances and songs. Some of the children at the church will perform these dances in shows throughout the weekend.
The festival will also hold church tours for those interested in joining St. George for weekly service.
Festival Co-Chairperson Diana Jakimoski is excited to bring the festival back for another year. The festival was born out of the desire to share Macedonian culture to the people of Central New York through the church and its platform.
“With the Festival of Nations not being around, we wanted to do something that would continue our culture within the community.”
The festival will be a chance for the church to expand its reach. It is both a cultural celebration and a fundraiser for St. George, enabling it to hold this festival year after year and carry out missions and other outreach opportunities.
Both regulars and newcomers frequent the festival, and Jakimoski looks forward to serving the community.
“It’s the hospitality of our culture and our people,” she says. “We’re very welcoming and open-minded; we’re always willing to help out an individual.”
The festivities start Friday and will continue until August 7th.
