30 days out

Update

T-minus 30 days! 

I kind of had to move the posting schedule a smidge, becauuuuse.... I got information about staging! I will be in Washington, D.C. for staging on September 21st. Given that I'm on the west coast and can't fly in in time for stuff on the day of, I'll be arriving in DC on the 20th, leaving Seattle around 8am. Staging activities will take place on the 21st, and then on the 22nd... we fly to Macedonia! - via Vienna, it looks like. I started drafting this portion of my blog last Monday when I got the information, and I honestly have not stopped grinning like an idiot since I got the email. 

Countdown! More Miscellaneous Macedonia

OK, I realized perhaps some categories are harder than others - I don't know much about nature and fauna of the Balkans in general, so I'll try to add things when I can, but I don't want the lack of those to hinder my posts from coming out when I intend them to. If I can't necessarily hit 10 facts in 10 days, I'll at least share some miscellaneous info!

1. Language: Working our way through the minority languages in Macedonia, next up is Romani! Not to be confused with Romanian, Romani is an Indo-European language  of the Romani people. While a term that you may be more used to hearing is 'gypsy', many Roma consider the term to be derogatory and perpetuate negative stereotypes about them (you can read more here). Romani language reflects the history of its people - the Roma are considered to have their historical roots in modern-day India, and the language has roots in Sanskrit. There are many dialects of Romani and variations of it after prolonged contact with other languages in areas where Roma people live. 
2. Music in Macedonia: I would be remiss if I did not mention one of the biggest names for Romani music from Macedonia, as well as just music from Macedonia in general: Esma Redžepova. She broke barriers and exceeded expectations, forging her own path and becoming a globally-renowned singer. Born in 1943, she grew up in an era where Romani music and singers were not held in much esteem or given much in the way of airtime at all -- especially female singers. The below song, "Chaje Shukarije" - her own composition - became hugely popular across Yugoslavia. It could even be questioned what the status of Romani music would be today in the Balkans without her contributions. I had the pleasure of seeing her perform live in Seattle a year before she passed away and also spoke with her briefly.
   
   
   
   
   
3. History: As the linguistic roots would suggest, historical Roma descendants likely migrated from what is now India around 1000 AD, possibly arriving in Europe around the 13th century. Thousands of Roma live across Europe, with Romani being spoken in over 40 countries. Unfortunately, across history they have faced persecution and forced assimilation, and thousands of Roma people perished in the Holocaust.
4. Geography: Macedonia is quite unique compared to the rest of Europe, as it is home to the only Roma-majority municipality with Romani as an official language. Šuto Orizari, north of the country's capitol of Skopje, is around 80% Roma. Known also as Šutka, it has its roots in the 1960s, a municipality created essentially out of nothing to relocate Roma people who lost their homes in a devastating earthquake in 1963.
5. Religion: Related a bit to holidays, the feast day of St. George is a saint's day and held in some esteem in various Orthodox Christian communities across Eastern Europe. Given its timing (23rd of April), it has also evolved into a commemoration of the first day of spring, and is observed more as such across various Balkan countries, including amongst the Roma. Tying into music, there is a traditional Romani song called Ederlezi that derives its name from the celebration. In the 1980s, popular Yugoslav rock band Bijelo Dugme released a version in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, popularizing it across the region.
6. Art: Dancing is a form of art, and I'm pleased to have another personal connection to this particular example. The below video shows a dear friend of mine, Shani Rifati, leading a traditional Roma dance for Ederlezi festivities in California. He is Roma from Kosovo, and has been into dance and music all of his life, leading workshops around the world and researching traditional Roma dances from the region. He is also the President of the nonprofit Voice of Roma, based out of the US and Europe.
   
   
7. Holidays: While I could have used the information above and talk about Ederlezi for a holiday, I wanted to share another day with you all. April 8th is observed as International Roma(ni) Day/Day of the Roma, as declared by the World Romani Congress in 1990. For an even closer regional glance, I'd love to share this fantastic piece that a friend of mine wrote for International Roma Day, after conversations with Roma activists in Kosovo.