It’s been ten years now since the revived Litany of Struga started announcing joy, and it keeps on sending everywhere around our country, as if rays of light, the blessing of St. George. It gives the faithful who come to this amazing spiritual event in greater and greater numbers with each year, the renewed blaze of the Paschal joy. As for the people of Struga, this is a wonderful opportunity for all of them to unite in the striving for the most dignified participation in this ceremony which endows with grace not only the town of Struga, but also our entire Homeland. This is when Struga reveals its most beautiful and ornate image: the children, wearing traditional folk clothes, embellish the town with their smiles and fountains of flowers which they offer as a gift to the Great Martyr George; the citizens leave for a minute their everyday routine and gathered on both sides of the street with merry faces and cheerful exclamations greet the Litany; the festive tunes of the Paschal troparion performed by the ceremonial orchestra of Skopje fill the air and enrich the glorious ambience; the clouds retreat before the waves of banners and reveal the view of the crystal clear sky; everything around denotes the Trophy Bearer and the bright Resurrection of the Conqueror of death. In all that beauty the greatest decoration is the lavish floral Epitaphios with the relics of St. George, surrounded by the Miyak guards, and the two miraculous images who properly enrich this procession with their blessing – the Krnino icon of Theotokos and the centuries old local town icon of St. George. Just like the previous year, they were carried on the hands of esteemed persons, who responded with great joy to this rare honor: Milcho Chakareski, Basil Ashtalkoski, Ratko Lazareski and Stephen Alushevsk, who were given the blessing by the relics of St. George, then Angelko Iovchevski, Cvetko Mitrevski, Kosta Hiohi, Boge Gokjeski, who carried the miraculous icon of the saint, as well as Bileski Sophce, Dragan Kuzmanoski, Goran Siljanoski and Iane Temelkoski, who were honored with the blessing of our Heavenly Empress through her Krnino icon. Especially exciting to the present was the fact that one of the carriers of the relics was our handball legend, the worldly famous Stephen Alushevski, and he responded with no less gratitude, which was quite evident on his happy face.
After the ceremonious procession blessed the streets of Struga, the huge multitude of participants in the Litany gathered in the spacious yard of St. George church, where they were further delighted with a wonderful performance of the members of the ensemble “Macedonia”. Among the honorary guest present this year on the Litany in Struga were the newly elected Mayor of Ohrid, Mr. Constantine Gjorgieski and the Mayor of Debarca, Mr. Zoran Nogacheski.
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