Beliefs Related to Nature and Celestial Bodies in Macedonia

Since time immemorial people have vigilantly monitored celestial developments. In the past the people's lives depended directly on nature, which is why they tried to memorize the order of events and understand the hidden "messages" of the celestial bodies for the sole purpose of surviving in harsh conditions. Research has indicated that, both in the past and at present, the life of the Macedonian villager has been in immediate connection with the celestial developments. The Macedonian people have developed their own notion of the sky with their own names, divisions, beliefs, and customs.

Like many other nations, the Macedonians, too, believe that the earth is infinite. It is most commonly imagined as a boundless flat plate floating in water, leaning on a pole, or supported by the horns of one or more oxen. Only the village of Orase maintains the isolated view that the earth does, after all, have an end, which is imagined as a vast and eternally dark desert inhabited by savages.

Earthquakes are frequent in Macedonia. It is therefore natural that people have felt the need to explain them through various assumptions related to the question of what it is that the earth stands on. The most widespread belief is that the earth leans onto a large poll. The itching of an ox against the poll, to which it is tied, causes the earth's tremor.

Like other people, the Macedonians believe that the sun is the symbol of purity, beauty, and goodness. It is further seen as the guardian of the Orthodox believers and as often helping the poor and the hard-working, while cursing or punishing the lazy and the dishonest. A sun eclipse is therefore believed to be a bad omen for Orthodox believers. The sun is in the focus of the Macedonian villager's life. The appearance of the sun at sunrise or sunset determines the weather on the following day, while its position in the sky measures the time of day. The people have developed their own beliefs and interpretations of the sun's movement and effects.

According to the Macedonians' beliefs, the moon is a living being of feminine gender possessing supernatural powers. It has a mother and it is the sun's sister. People say that when God created the earth it was dark, which is why "He created the sun to mark the day and the moon to mark the night." In some areas the moon is believed to change every 15 days. The moon plays a very important role in the life and daily duties of the Macedonian villagers, who attentively follow its movement in the sky. Unlike the sun, which is believed to protect the Christians or the Orthodox believers, the moon is said to guard the Muslims or the Turks. Like in the case of the sun, a moon eclipse is also believed to be inauspicious, but primarily for the Turks, who used to be really scared of it.

One of the Macedonians' most widespread beliefs is that of the people's fateful association with the stars. There are numerous sayings about these beliefs, related to the people's successes and failures in life. The stars are also associated with the people's age, prosperity, and luck, and are not to be counted or pointed at. The phenomenon of falling stars is believed to bring bad luck.

From "The Sky Over Macedonia" by Gjore Cenev