[8 september] Happy Independence day Republic of Macedonia!

Day 3,580, 00:13 • Published in North Macedonia Romania • by VampireA
Republic of Macedonia


General information

Population : 2 milion people (145th in the World, 37th in Europe)
Total Area : 25,713 km2 (145th in the World, 36th in Europe)
Oficial language : Macedonian
Oficial currency : Macedonian denar(MKD)
Capital : Skopje
Population density : 80 people/km2 (122nd in the World, 30th in Europe)
Top 5 biggest cities : Skopje, Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep, Tetovo
Is a parliamentary democracy with an executive government composed of a coalition of parties from the unicameral legislature and an independent judicial branch with a constitutional court.

With the passage of a new law and elections held in 2005, local government functions are divided between 78 municipalities . The capital, Skopje, is governed as a group of ten municipalities collectively referred to as the "City of Skopje".

Macedonia's statistical regions exist solely for legal and statistical purposes. The regions are: Eastern, Northeastern, Pelagonia, Polog, Skopje, Southeastern, Southwestern, Vardar.


National sport : Football



Handball




National animal : Lion

National plant : Molika (Pinus peuce)



Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum)



National instruments : Zurla



Gajda



Tapan







8 september and its semnification

ON September 8, 1991, for the first time the option was given to macedonians to vote on a referendum if they want to be a sovereign independent country. Over 95.5% voted in favor of that referendum from the 72% inhabitants that joined. Interesting fact is that the Republic of Macedonia is the only one from the 6 countries who separted from Yugoslavia peacefully without civil war. Of course there were a few problems regarding the neighbours but for that you can reasearch more.

After the result of the vote, people spontaneously began to gather on the main square of Skopje – Macedonia Square, to celebrate the independence, where they were greeted by the first President with this very famous sentence:

“Dear citizens of Macedonia, allow me tonight to you and to all citizens of Macedonia to congratulate the free, sovereign and independent Macedonia!”


Today in the Republic of Macedonia, the day is celebrated with a lot of activities. The President traditionally every year is giving the "8th of September" medal to people/organisations/gvt members who worked and helped the country in building itself inside and in the foreign affairs.
*”8th of September” medal*
*Coat of arms




I will try to keep the sections for legends and mythology.. only if I don’t find something interesting I will use it for other things the countries are known for.

Today we continue with the magical world of fairies and a little sad story at the end.


Samodiva

Samodivas are most often described as being blonde, tall and slender women with pale, glowing skin and fiery eyes, ethereal maidens with long loose hair, sometimes also with wings. They are usually dressed in free-flowing white gowns.

According to folk beliefs Samodivas live inside huge old trees, in abandoned shacks or dark caves, near the rivers, ponds or wells. They play and sing there or try their powers with the common heroes. They come on humans world and do this only during the spring and stay until autumn. During the winter they live in mythical village of Zmajkovo.

They are believed to be very beautiful women with an affinity to fire. They have the power to bring about drought, burn a farmer's crops, or make cattle die of high fever. It is said that, when angered, a Samodiva would change her appearance and turn into a monstrous bird, capable of flinging fire at her enemies.

They are usually hostile and dangerous to people. Men who gaze upon a Samodiva fall instantly in love (or at least in lust), and women go so far as to take their own lives at the sight of such beauty. Sometimes a Samodiva would seduce a man, commonly a shepherd or a trespasser in her forest, and take him as her lover. However, in doing so, she would take all of his life energy, his essence. The Samodiva, fuelled by the energy stolen from her admirer, would then proceed to torture the man until he dies of exhaustion.
So.. very carefull if you see a beautifull women , tall and blonde in this parts of the world…


The legends of lake Dojran


I have succesfully found 2 legends .. so chose wich one is better.

First legend
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Dojrana who fell in love with the shepherd Labin. Both of them lived near the lake. One day, in the city centre, lots of bachelors and maidens were folk-dancing, and Dojrana was dancing with Labin, too. At that moment, Dzemo, an Ottoman robber, saw the pretty Dojrana and took her, stabbing Labin quite badly with his sword. Dojrana, angry and furious, jumped from Dzemo’s horse and ran towards Labin. Although also stabbed, she managed to drag him to the lake where they both drowned. After that tragic event and the sad legend that grew up around it, the lake and the city both took their names from Dojrana.

The 2nd legend
In the city of Polin, there was a beautiful girl named Dojrana. One day, she and her friends went to a fountain in a valley east of the city to fetch water. The handsome Labin came, too, and Dojrana started talking to him. Soon, both were expressing their love and affection for each other. The other girls filled their pitchers and left, leaving Dojrana and Labin behind. When Dojrana saw that she had been abandoned, she quickly hurried to catch up with the girls, leaving the tap of the fountain running. During the night, the water overflowed from the fountain, filled the valley and created a lake – called Lake Dojran after the careless Dojrana.

If it is after me. .I prefer the 1st legend.. what about you ?



Top 5 visited places by tourists

Mavrovo National Park





The largest of Macedonia’s national parks, Mavrovo boasts some of the best scenery in the country and is an ideal travel destination for nature lovers. The Mavrovo Mountain peak is the highest in the region, thus the park is also a popular destination for climbers, and it operates as a winter ski resort too, bustling with snowy adventures. Lake Mavrovo stretches out over an expanse of 10 kilometers and makes for some of the country’s best trout fishing, whilst also being a wonderful place to swim, sail and walk. Visitors to the lake should be sure to take some time to marvel at the half-submerged Church of St Nicolas, once left completely underwater by floods in the 1950s before gradually re-emerging to form the mystical sight that it is today.


Ohrid





The main settlement is situated on the UNESCO world heritage site of Lake Ohrid. This historic town is one of the country’s most interesting, as well as visually impressive, travel destinations.


Bitola




Bitola, lies nestled within the Baba, Nitze, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges. Largely untouched by the tourist industry, this town is Macedonia’s secret cultural hub, with its refined galleries, museums, restaurants and thriving coffee shop culture making it one of the best places to socialize in Macedonia.

Skopje




Situated on the Vardar river, the city is an important European trade center exporting chemicals and machinery worldwide, and it is also beginning to make a name for itself as an international travel destination. Having at one time or another been ruled by the Romans, the Serbians, and the Ottomans, the city’s layout and architecture exude a vibrant, diversified feel which reflects its colorful past.


Heraclea Lynkestis



The ruined town of Heraclea Lynkestis has a fascinating past and is thus a must-visit for history lovers. Founded by the Macedonian King Phillip II in the fourth century BC, this ancient ruined town was conquered by the Greeks and soon became an important Hellenistic stronghold.




Top 3 locations suggested by the locals

Smolare Waterfall




It can be found above the village of Smolare, at an elevation of 630 meters, located deep in the Belasica Mountains where the Lomnica River springs hidden among the hundred-years-old beech trees. The waterfall is a unique waterfall in Macedonia with the water falling from the height of 39,5 meters, the tallest waterfall in Macedonia.




Monastery St.Joachim Osogovski



The Monastery of Saint Joachim of Osogovo, which is considered as one of the most beautiful monasteries in Macedonia is hidden in tranquility and lush forests and greenery of Osogovo Mountains peaks.
The monastery was founded by a priest from Ovče Pole in the mid-12th century. In 1585, during Ottoman rule, the church was converted to mosque for a short period of time after the bey of Kriva Palanka renovated it, though it soon became a church again.

There is an interesting legend about it : it is said that the ottoman "pasha" (turkish title) visited the monastery and ordered to be burned to the ground. The same moment when he and his army left the monastery the horses started falling down, soldiers duying and the pasha god heart attack. After that event none Turkish ruler ever came back to the monastery nor tried to harm it.

Solunska Glava





Is one of the highest peaks in Macedonia(2540m). It is highest peak of several massifs in the central part of the country. It is beautifully shaped cone which has two different faces. On the south, west and north its slopes are mix of grass and rock, at the upper grass layer, which means grass isn’t juicy and high but scarce.







Interesting facts and places in Republic of Macedonia



*The Macedonian mine of Alshar, on mountain Kozhuf, is the only mine in the world to extract talium, and it is a potential “mine” of eco-friendly and pure energy. Since 2004, the mine became a monument of nature, and part of the “Emerald” network for protection of the natural scarcity.



*According to NASA, Macedonian observatory Kokino is 4th on the list of World’s oldest observatories, among Abu Simbel - Egypt, Stonehenge - Great Britain, and Angkor Wat - Cambodia.




*The cave Peshna in Makedonski Brod, in New York Times was described as identical with the caves in the movie “Lord of the Rings”, guess what cave.



*Platanus orientalis, the oldest tree in Macedonia located in Ohrid is growing since the period of Saint Clement of Ohrid, IX century.




*The stone town of Kuklica, or the Stone Dolls, are really worth the see. The stone town is an area consisting of over 120 naturally formed stone pillars, which aside from mystic stories and legends, the earth pyramid in Kuklica was formed as a result of natural erosion processes in the Holocene, during the past 100,000 years.



*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. This is why, the Macedonian government decided to cease the production of opium in the 90s, due to fears of it being exploited in the narcotics field.






Famous macedonian people

Krste Petkov Misirkov - was a philologist, slavist, historian and ethnographer. In the period between 1903 and 1907 he published a book and a scientific magazine in which he affirmed the existence of a Macedonian national identity separate from other Balkan nations, and attempted to codify a standard Macedonian language based on the Central Macedonian dialects
(1873-1932)

Toshe Proeski - was a macedonian multi-genre singer, songwriter and actor. He was popular across the entire Balkan area and was considered a top act of the local Macedonian music scene.
(1981-2007)

Kiril Lazarov - a macedonian handball player , captain of the Macedonia national handball team. Lazarov holds the records for most goals scored in a single World Men's Handball Championship (92) and single European Men's Handball Championship (61). He is also the all-time top scorer in the EHF Champions League and the only player to have scored more than 1,000 goals. Due to his scoring prowess, he is regarded as one of the best handball scorers of all time.

(born 1980)

Goran Pandev - a Macedonian footballer, the captain of the Macedonian national team, and is the country's all-time top scorer with 30 goals.
(born 1984)

Pero Antic - a Macedonian professional basketball , hewas also a member and captain of the Macedonian national basketball team.
(born 1982)







Traditional food

Tavche Gravche



Tavche gravche is the national dish of Macedonia. It is composed of beans and other vegetables and prepared in a skillet.

Pita Burek



Pita Burek is a family of baked filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo (or yufka), of Anatolian origins. A pita burek may be prepared in a large pan and cut into portions after baking, or as individual pastries.


Turli tava



It is a common main course dish for Republic of Macedonia and the rest of the southern Balkans. Turli tava is made out of potatoes, rice, okra, eggplant, carrots, peppers, pork, beef or lamb. All these ingredients are mixed and baked in an oven in a traditional pottery dish (tava).


Ajvar



Ajvar is a pepper-based condiment made principally from red bell peppers. It may also contain garlic, eggplant and chili peppers.


Polneti piperki



Piperki polneti or stuffed peppers, are also very popular dish in Macedonia. Peppers are stuffed with ground meat with rice and spices then baked in the oven.






5 interesting facts about Republic of Macedonia:

1.There are (supposed) parts of the cross on which Jesus was crucified in the foundations of the monasteries of St. Bogodorica Prechista in Kichevo, and St. Jovan Bigorski and St. Georgij Pobedonosec in Deba.[/b]
2.Ohrid Lake is the oldest and one of the deepest lakes in Europe (max depth 288m). It is estimated 4 million years old and has 200 endemic species that haven’t been found at any other place in the world. It was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979.
3. The official name of Macedonia in the United Nations is the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM. This is due to a long dispute the country has with Greece regarding their history as the former Kingdom of Macedonia. Even though they’re officially FYROM in the U.N, the government has persuaded more than 130 countries (135 at the time of publication), including the United States, to recognize it as the Republic of Macedonia.
4.Skopje has suffered quite a few devastating earthquakes throughout history, the biggest ones in 518 and in 1963, leveling most of the city. In addition, the Austro-Hungarian General Piccolomini ordered the city burnt down in the 18th Century.
5.Cave Vrelo is a stunning underwater cave with a depth of 77 meters, which makes it the world’s deepest underwater cave.





My 5 words when I hear about Republic of Macedonia:
#KirilLazarov,#handball,#mountains,#Skopje,#AlexanderTheGreat


What are your 5?






Special thanks to Furious LadyAlexander Macedon, Severrus Snape and Alexander Macedon , and message for the comunity:

“Искрено, не знам што да кажам а да не звучам премногу песимистички.. Сакам да ги поздравам моите пријатели, и дека ве ценам што сме заедно после толку години. И до цело еРепублик општество, до сите вас што сеуште сте тука, заедно да го прославиме јубилејниот 10-ти роденден на играва, со надеж за добри промени..
Останете ми со здравје!”

“Honestly, I don’t know what to say without sounding too pessimistic.. I want to greet all my friends, and I appreciate that we are together after all these years. To the whole eRepublik community, to all of you that are still here, lets celebrate the 10th anniversary jubilee of this game together, hoping for better changes in the future..
Stay well!”

Waiting for feedback , coments , opinions and if there is anyone that thinks I missed something , I could do something better or just wants to help me with this project , PM me !


Special thanks to Kariky for the spacers !!

Hope you enjoyed and see you next time!


P.S. Article 10/74!


P.S.2. Don't forget to push that flags !