Introducing Macedonia
08/14/2009 - 23:39
Introducing Macedonia
Mountainous Macedonia still has an air of mystery to it. Simultaneously ancient and brand new, it’s struggling to find its place in the postcommunist world. Black-clad Orthodox monks are just as much a part of this renewal as the hordes of teenagers, bedecked in the latest Italian fashions, sipping coffee in the stylish bars of the capital.
For outdoors types it’s a paradise. Its extensive wilderness allows ample opportunities for hikers, mountain climbers and skiers. Try the stunning Mavrovo National Park in Western Macedonia for the country's best skiing and some unforgettable alpine views. Meanwhile, ancient ruins will fascinate anyone with even a smidgen of interest in history, as will the amazing Sveti Naum monastery. The culturally-rich town of Ohrid is one of Macedonia's highlights, with its beautiful lake and spiritual significance; capital Skopje is a buzzing place where Eastern European stereotypes and unexpected attractions coexist with intriguing results. In short, for a little place it’s crammed with something for just about everyone.
Did you know this
07/22/2009 - 23:13
Mother Teresa (Agnes Gondza Bojadziu) was born in Skopje on August 26. 1910.
The Macedonian mine “Alshar” on Kozuv mountain is the only world source of Thallium, and a potential 'mine' for ecological clean energy.
3 tectonic, 25 glacial and 15 artificial lakes and 34 mountains exist in Macedonia.
It is fascinating that The fresco "Lamentation over the Body of Christ" in St. Pantelejmon was painted 140 years before Giotto's "Pieta".
Ohrid - the European Jerusalem, the cultural capital of Macedonia, the city of the Slavic civilization and Cyrillic script used to have 365 churches, one for each day of the year.
2,764 meters is the height of Golem Korab, the highest peak in Macedonia.
Macedonia is cradle of the Slavic culture and the Cyrillic script. St. Clement of Ohrid developed the Glagolica alphabet the masterpiece of his teachers Sts. Cyril and Methodius and name it Cyrillic in his honor.
The Pesna Cave, near Makedonski Brod, as described in New York Times, is identical as the imagined caves in the trilogy Lord of the Rings.
In a cemetery in Butel is where George Zorbas's grave is located.
Skopje plain seems to be inhabited at least for 7000-8000 years.
Skopje plain seems to be inhabited at least for 7000-8000 years. The neolithic tomb in Madzari and the neolithic settlement found in the Skopje Kale fortress are proof of it.
120 dolls in Kuklica, near Kratovo are 10 milion years old.
The oldest lake in Europe and the deepest in the Balkan's - the Ohrid lake is 4 milion years old and has more than 200 endemic species.
One of the Titanic Survivors was a Macedonian.
According to NASA, Kokino is 4th on the list of oldest meghalithic observatories in the whole world.
The smallest ethno museum in the world is located only 5 km on the northwest of Tetovo, in the picturesque village of Dzepciste and as such is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
Macedonia is the only place in Europe to have clearest rubies.
The highest quality of opium is the Macedonian. Second is Pakistan's opium who has seven morph units. Third is the Columbian with around 3.5 M.E. The Macedonian opium has an incredible 14 M.E., doubling that of Pakistan.
Parts of Jesus' Crucifiction cross are layed in the foundations of the monasteries of St Bogorodica Precista (Kicevo), St. Jovan Bigorski, and St. Georgij Pobedonosec in Rajcica (Debar).
Music in Macedonia dates back to the 11th century. The Bologna psaltir is written in Cyrillic in the Ohrid village Raven. If you visit the Ohrid Museum you can find written songs and music notes dating back from the 10 to 14th centuries.
The most famous song in Palestine and today treated as an anthem of Palestine and the Arabic world is written by a Macedonian.
The oldest tree in Macedonia is the Platanus Orientalis in Ohrid. Whether a coincidence or not, the tree is growing since St. Clement of Ohrid period, in the 9th century.
The first ZOO in the Balkans was opened in
Limba macedoneană
10/25/2008 - 01:27
Limba macedoneană (macedoneană: Македонски) este o limbă indo-europeană, membră a grupului sudic al limbilor slave, înrudită îndeaproape cu bulgară. Macedoneana este răspândită mai ales în Republica Macedonia. Mai este vorbită în Canada, Grecia, Albania, Serbia, Australia şi SUA, având un număr total de vorbitori estimat la 2 milioane. Limba este membră a uniunii lingvistice balcanice. Limba macedoneană foloseşte alfabetul chirilic.
Macedoneana este singura limbă slavică care nu are cazuri pentru substantiv, ci doar trei articole hotărâte.
15% din vocabularul macedonenei nu corespunde cu vocabularul limbii bulgare iar diferenţele au apărut din cauza împrumuturilor din sârbă primite după anul 1913, atunci când cea mai mare parte a Macedoniei a intrat în componenţa statului sârb (ulterior Iugoslavia), desprinzându-se de acesta abia în 1991.
Chiar şi astăzi nu există un consens între lingvişti cu privire la recunoaşterea macedonenei ca fiind o limbă distinctă sau un dialect al bulgarei. Lingviştii bulgari consideră macedoneana ca fiind dialectul sud-vestic din cadrul arealului lingvistic bulgar. Diferenţele dintre bulgara literară şi macedoneana survine, printre altele, din cauza faptului că la baza limbii literare bulgare stau dialectele bulgăreşti estice (din zona Mării Negre). Astfel, graiurile şi dialectele vorbite de populaţia din vestul Bulgariei (inclusiv din Sofia, capitala ţării) sunt mai aproapiate de limba macedoneană (dialectul macedonean) decât de bulgara literară. De asemenea, vorbitorii macedonenei din sud-vestul Bulgariei preferă să privească limba lor ca fiind un dialect al bulgarei, decât o limbă distinctă.