After enjoying the Christmas joy, which continued after the Christmas liturgical celebration in the temples with the great Christmas concert in the beautiful ambiance of the Macedonian Philharmonic, here again, the new Lord’s summer called us to new spiritual joy. This time, the host of the festive ambiance was the city of Kichevo, which sparkled with a special glow, making every inch of it overflow with Christmas joy for all.
The specific and rich Byzantine melody of the ancient Christmas and New Year’s carols, with which great praise for God was expressed, sounded again, now in the packed hall of the Cultural Center of the city of Kichevo, performed by numerous talented musicians, led by Mr. Petar Hristov, and accompanied by the choir of “Metropolitan Kozma Prechistenski” and “Ilija Nikolovski-Luj”. Through the mellifluous voices of Lambe Alabakovski, Jovana Bogdanoska, Dario Stojanovski, Evangelija Grbic, and Jovana Jakimoska, the greeting resounded: “Christ is born!”, and the wishes for a good and pleasing new year delighted the hearts of all present.
Amidst the numerous guests of the festive concert, our beloved Elder, Bishop Antaniski Mr. Partenij,, was in attendance, accompanied by the highly esteemed Metropolitan of Arkalohori, Castelli, and Vianno, Mr. Andrej, who traveled with us from the Orthodox Church in Greece, along with Archimandrite Philotej and Hieromonk Andrej, bringing us the patriarchal blessing for a grace-filled New Year.
Among the honored guests of the solemn concert were the venerable fathers of the parish church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Kicevo, a part of the monasticism of the diocese, representatives of the local government of Kicevo, as well as a large number of prominent citizens and sponsors of this year’s event.
This spiritual celebration in Kicevo was a great contribution to the cultural and artistic atmosphere of the city, as evidenced by the tremendous efforts put into preparing for this event. The hardworking Kicevchani organized a festive bazaar, where various products and souvenirs were on display, adding a remarkable festive atmosphere to the city.
Following the solemn concert, numerous surprises awaited the guests, and the youngest were the most delighted, following with great admiration the spectacular fireworks that symbolically celebrated the beginning of the new year.
The organizers of the event, including members of the Badnik Processions Association, expressed great gratitude to the mayor of the Municipality of Kicevo, Mr. Fatmir Dehari, as well as to his municipal colleagues, for their unwavering support in realizing this festive event. Great thanks were also expressed to the director of the Center for Culture, Mr. Mazlam Osmeni, who followed the entire event with undisguised admiration, as well as to representatives from the public and private sectors of the city for their technical support in decorating the city square.
