The Macedonian Festival is in full swing this weekend at St. George Macedonian Eastern Orthodox Church in Syracuse, New York.

They open at noon today for hours of ethnicity – food, music, dance and church tours.

My father is a chef – retired now, but he spent all day yesterday in the kitchen.  My mother brought in her arsenal of décor and costumes to display on the stage in the reception hall.

Lots of red!

The interior of the church is spectacular.  An iconographer from the monastary created breathtaking murals on canvas that were adhered to every wall.  I love the blue starry ceiling!

I am an iconongrapher too!  OMG, I painted a picture of St. George when I was eighteen.  It was a project using only the primary colors and black and white so, keep that in mind before you judge, lol.

My painting has actually been blessed and resides above the candle kiosk.  So, even though I am not technically a member of the church anymore (I haven’t paid my dues since the ’80s) I still maintain a small presence there, which is very special.

Macedonia is a country for those of you who have never heard of it.  It is one of five countries that were once part of the former Yugoslavia.  I think it goes by Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia or something.  For more information about Macedonia, check out the latest issue of National Geographic magazine!

Here is the link to the festival’s Facebook page.  The church has a web-site too.  Check out the festival today (noon-11:00 pm) or tomorrow (noon-7:00 pm) – or both!  5083 Onondaga Road (Route 173) Syracuse, New York 13215

Folk dancing is a guilty pleasure.  It’s so much fun and great cardio!  Especially to the sounds of Merak, a group of guys who have been playing together since they were preschoolers – they are amazing!