Merry MAKs-mess!

Adding to the list of things MAK does better than the US must include winter holidays.  In the US, kids get out of school and max out their parents credit cards, then return to school a short while later.

In MAK, there are a LOT more moving parts.  For example, kids are out of school mid December and do not restart until late January. This allows plenty of time for the 6 events during this season to be thoroughly prosecuted. Here is the seasonal hit parade:

1.  Christmas. Santa is here too, but only as a minor retail prop. Santa here seems quite shy and frequently has smoke breaks. He is properly suspicious of children and dogs. December 25 is a non-event and not even the shy Santas get a break as they work on this day and for a week after.
2.  New Year.  On this day the shy Santa gets his time as he has delivered small presents to kids.  People that want to go out get their finest sequined clothes on and go to a bar.  It is a long night and the streets are littered with lost sequins and the remnants of fireworks.

 3. Boshik... It starts with a family meal with no meat.  Before the meal begins, everyone takes some food outside and God is invited in.  Fish, salads, bread, wine is served. The bread has a coin baked into it and whoever gets it is lucky for the year but the payback is they have to throw a party next year. This is January 5, 6 and 7.  On the 5th, you go to a bonfire and drink wine and listen to music.   There are  fireworks and singing.  The next day you return the earlier favor to God and go to his house for church service.  This is a 3 hour deal as conversations with Him are not brief.  Also, God is not in the furniture business so there are no chairs in an Orthodox church, so you stand.  It is really quite beautiful as the mass is sung.
4.  Old New Year.  This is on January 13 on the old Gregorian calendar.  On this night kids put on masks and go around to houses and sing. You then give them a couple sausages. We gave out candy as yes, we had no sausages.  People use up whatever left over fireworks they may have, fuelled apparently, by sausages.
5.  Name Day.  January 14 is a big name day. This the day when a Saint died. Apparently the 14th claimed a lot as many Saints have this day.  If you are named after a name-day Saint, this is your day too so you must think Saintly thoughts and give out candy which I think is in the Old Testament.
6.  Epiphany.  This is on January 19th.  On this day the priest blesses the river, and throws in a cross.  People must be quite taken with this as the men leap into the river to try and find it.  If you find the cross you get a lot of luck plus bragging rights.  I suspect the river bottom is riddled with crucifixes and those less lucky. The Vardar river is big, fast and cold.

Everyone is now cold, exhausted, sugared up or sick of sausages so school resumes on January 21st.  I believe this is a much better way to spend the holidays. A lot more food and far less time returning stuff you don't want. And, if you're feeling lucky, you can try the river!
Al

Cafe Society

L

"Let's take a coffee!"  When you hear your MAK friends say this, the only answer is "yes".  In Macedonia, coffee is serious business as well as dang good. They have been brewing coffee well before Starbucks came along and ruined it for us. It came with the Turks about 600 years ago. 

The traditional way to make coffee is the Turkish (or Makedonski) style. Here you take a small pot, like one of the old pots below and boil water. Then add some finely ground coffee, this is almost like powder.  Add this to the hot but not boiling water, stir. Do not let this boil or it will look like one of those coke and Mentos experiments from elementary school!  Add sugar and stir while having a very serious look on your face. The pour it all into a cup. Milk is for sissies.  It is quite good.  The important part comes now. You must talk about things, anything, but not about work. Work is for sissies and can be discussed later when you are not doing important stuff like drinking coffee.  If you have not finished your discussions the only option is another cup of coffee, maybe with a cake. Not a sweet cake, that is for sissies. Maybe a cake with dark chocolate. 

Soon you will finish your important work because if you take 3 coffees you will be crazy and do no work at all. That is ok, because you did the important thing by taking coffee with your colleagues. I think America needs important coffee like this and less frou-frou coffee like Starbucks. 

If you are frou-frou like I am sometimes you can get a cappuccino like the one above. Excellent as well but mostly for tourists or the feeble. When you visit you must take a coffee with me and tell me how you have been. We have time!

Al

Add caption