Example Of Research Paper On Macedonian Culture

History of Macedonian Culture

This is the culture of the Macedonian people. It is an ethnic population that inhabits the Balkan region. In the 20th century, they were referred as the Vadar Macedonia and currently, it is the Republic of Macedonia (Roudometof, 2000). Macedonian people are considered non-Greek but have been associated with Modern Greeks. Historically, they are Slavs who descended from a group of people that arrived in the Balkans between the 6th and the 7th Century. Additionally, Macedonians are composed of six ethnic groups, which are: Upper Vardar, Macedo-Shop, Struma-Mesta, Southern, Miyak and Brsyak (Roudometof, 2000).

Uniqueness of the Macedonian Culture

The uniqueness of Macedonian culture emerges from its ethnic relations. To begin with, ethnic people of Macedonia live in contiguous parts of Albania, Greece, and Bulgaria and are composed made up of Muslim speakers of the Slavic dialect (Nazari, 2011). Additionally, Macedonian culture is composed of a mixture different language speaking ethnic groups for instance: Greek speaking Macedonia, Turkish and those who speak Muslim Dialects (Ski, 2003). Consequently, religious diversity is also another unique feature of Macedonia. The cultural religion is composed of an Orthodox Macedonia Church and Muslims; these two religions acts as pertinent organizing principle of language among the Macedonian people (Ski, 2003).
The country is landlocked and is separated from its neighboring countries such as Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo and Greece by a chain of mountains. These neighboring countries have had a significant effect on the Macedonian culture; majorly through their languages i.e. a significant number of the Macedonian people are in a position to speak Greek and Bulgarian languages (Ski, 2003). The organizing metaphor of the Macedonian people is the Symbol of Saint Elijah’s Day. Their official language is the Macedonian language and their national Anthem involves referring to the struggle for rights, the sun for freedom and the heroes of Ilinden (Ski, 2003).

Common Foods eaten in the Macedonian Culture

Among the Macedonian people, breakfast forms a fundamental meal of the day; it is usually taken at 9.00 am, but may be taken earlier depending on the type of work one does for instance: Factory workers. Breakfast consist of cheese, bread and in some cases, it may include boiled or fried eggs (www.everyculture.com). Bean casserole is considered a staple and favorite dish among the Macedonian people; other meals such as lunch and supper may begin with serving meze, which is a local appetizer and fruit brandy. The most basic dish in Macedonia is bread; it can be consumed during breakfast, lunch and supper. In restaurants, Macedonian people may be served with pizza, although this is considered an expensive dish and is mostly afforded by the middle class and the rich. Banquets are majorly served in major hotels as well as restaurants and there are no food taboos in Macedonia, except for those that are associated with religious beliefs. During ceremonial occasions such as Christmas, a bird is eaten among Christians while a lamb is usually slaughtered during Easter Holidays (www.everyculture.com).

Cultural Food Tasting Experience

One of the most favorite Macedonian dishes is the Musaka. It is a delicious potato-based dish; it is also served in other parts of Europe (www.everyculture.com). The concept of musaka involves a layered dish of sliced potatoes. Between each layer, there is onions, ground meat, egg-plant and an assortment of vegetables (www.everyculture.com). The top layer consists of an egg yolk glaze, therefore giving musaka a characteristically golden color as well as unique crispy texture (www.everyculture.com).

Major Religions of the Macedonian Culture

The two major religions of the Macedonian culture are Islam and Christianity. During Easter holidays, Christians consume lamb as a symbol of purity. In relation to Islam, dates are usually taken at the end of Ramadan Holiday (Roudometof, 2000). This is as a result of symbolic recalling of the fact that Islam founder Prophet Muhammad ate three dates at the end of his fasting. Basically, the dates are taken after an Iftar meal. On the other hand, wine is usually used for libation purposes when one dies (Roudometof, 2000).

Health Beliefs

Honey has been one of the food materials used as medicine, not only in the ancient Macedonia, but also in the current traditional Macedonian medicine. Currently, traditional healers use honey as medicine for anti-bacterial infections that facilitates healing of ulcers, wounds and other gastro-intestinal challenges (Ski, 2003).

Challenges that can be faced when Macedonian Food is introduced in the United States

The United States is composed of various cultural perceptions and beliefs. Most of these cultures are affiliated to specific ethnic groups meaning that their level of appreciation is high among their respective ethnic groups (Rosen-Gustafsson & Goldberg 2009). Introducing a new culture i.e. Macedonian food in the United States may be faced with challenges such as: Modification of the Macedonian culture in a manner that fits the dominant Western culture of the United States. Additionally, since Macedonian culture may be considered a minority culture, it may not experience a wide aspect of reception among the United States populace, who have adapted to the Western Culture.

Conclusion

Macedonia is among the most favorite global tourist destination sites. This is has been attributed to its cultural activities majorly from the six ethic groups that inhabit the Balkan regions. Additionally, its unique methods of preparing traditional foods and religious beliefs are considered to be among its tourist attraction features. The country has a rich history that links it with neighboring nations such as Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia et cetera. Its relationship with the neighboring these nations has also had a significant impact on its culture i.e. use of Greek language among some of its citizens.

References

Countries and Their Cultures. (n.d.). Retrieved March 4, 2015, from http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Macedonia.html
Nazari, E. (2011). An Empiric Study On Dimensions Of Albania Culture In Integration Setting. A Comparative Analysis Between Albania And Macedonia. International Journal of Management Cases, 70-76.
Rosen-Gustafsson, B., & Goldberg, L. (2009). Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in Europe: The Role of CPLOL and Its Relevance to Education Regarding Cultural Diversity in the United States. Perspectives on Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations, 8-11.
Roudometof, V. (2000). The Macedonian question: Culture, historiography, politics. Boulder: East European Monographs ;.
Ski, B. (2003). The Macedonian issue: The power of culture, the culture of power. Poznań: Naukowe.