The fourth international ethno festival of Aromanian songs “Everybody to the mountains on St.Peter’s day” took place on Sunday 10 July on Ponikva Mountains in Kocani. The festival was organized by the Aromanian singing group Ghramosteanj, which was formed in 2007, in order to present the rich culture and tradition to new generations.
Ghramosteanj has written down about 200 traditional songs and all the songs are performed as they were performed by the ancestors a capella. A part from Ghramosteanj, there were groups coming from Bulgaria, Romania and other parts in Macedonia, including one group who was not Aromenian, but who had learned Aromanian songs by heart. Macedonia is the only country where Aromanians are officially recognized as a minority. Moreover, the Aromanian language has a degree of official status in Macedonia where it is taught as a subject in some primary schools.
The ethno festival was sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy in Skopje for the third year in a row, and some of the employees at the embassy also participated in the festival. After the groups were finished singing and dancing, the Embassy enjoyed Macedonian food and rakija, celebrating St.Peter’s day together with people from the groups and other sponsors.