We were able to celebrate possibly the biggest day in Ohrid on Saturday. January 19th is when they celebrate John the Baptist. For the celebration, just about everyone in town makes their way to center and on the way to center they stop off and light some candles at church and pick up a cup of warm Rakija (60% alcoholic homemade drink). When you get to center you get unlimited refills of rakija and wait for the "throwing" to begin. At about 10:30 a high priest makes his way on to a boat and begins a John the Baptist liturgy. The climax is when he blesses a wooden cross and throws into the lake to a crowd of young and old waiting to receive the blessing of being the one who catches the cross. After the cross hits the water, the lake becomes blessed for the day. The person who catches the cross gets a TV and a large sum of money. For the rest of the day, the cross-catcher and his friends go door to door, shop to shop, coffeehouse to coffeehouse collecting money from the people. Needless to say, he makes a good amount of money that day ... no wonder he thinks he is blessed!!.
Then after all the excitement dies down, people spend the rest of the day jumping in the blessed lake which is supposed to help them health the rest of the year. And you can also go to center to get blown on by this man below. He told me that is was "blessed smoke" and is was for health...just like jumping in the lake. Needless to say, I got blown because I was close, but he actually had a small line forming. It was sad.
The sad part was that people where buying these jars to store the lake's blessed water and they would use in the future. I asked two people what it was good for and just like the lake and the smoke, having it was good for "health."
4 comments:
So sad how superstitions and things have gotten so mixed up with the truth of the Bible and Biblical characters but we are praying that you all are doing well and having lots of opportunities to open eyes by showing love and truth. Take care -
-The Creeches
Hey Mandy! It's so good to hear from you:)...Today I received your comments on my blog, I'm so glad you found me...I often wondered where you ended up going..I didn't know that you had a baby girl, she is precious! Wow that's so neat that you and Brian have been working in Macedonia. I know a couple from my church who are going over there in a few months to be workers. Thanks for your blog link I will definitely keep up with your blog...I hope you all are doing well and will keep you and the work you are doing there in my prayers...
It seems like an ancient tradition you would heard about in the Middle Ages..not something practiced today. It's just sad to see people placing faith in the wrong kind of cross and the wrong kind of "water." We love you guys and are praying for you!
Great pictures of a "Happening"..and now I know were the term " You are blowing smoke" comes. You have the magic formula for getting attention...listen...listen...listen..and then speak quietly and open the discussion with factual authority...you will be drawing a good crowd with that approach. Who knows, you may become a Bishop (if IMB has them) and Mandy and Kate can be your cheerleaders.
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