My observations:
Here are some things I noticed at the Christian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Macedonia. When leaving the church, Macedonians exit the Church backwards, then perform the sign of the cross, from right shoulder to left shoulder, three times, then kiss their fingers. I guess the reason they exit backwards is to show respect to God, by not turning their back on him. I didn't see any of them dip their hands in Holy Water, like we do in the Catholic Religion, but I have seen containers with Holy Water in the Church. And being Catholic, I perform the sign of the cross from left shoulder to right shoulder. Also, in Macedonia, people wear their wedding band on their right ring finger, not their left ring finger. I didn't realize this at first, because most of the married women I've come in contact with, wear gold bands on both left and right ring fingers. Oh, and most people here don't rock the rock. They wear a solid gold band, no diamond included; and usually yellow gold. I have yet to see someone wearing white, platinum, or silver.
Back to the Church, after the service, many people light candles, for their family & friends. These candles burn outside the Church, probably for safety reasons. There are two levels of candles. The lower candles are burned for those that have died and the ones on top are for the living. The service is an hour and half, and afterwards, some people come sit outside on the benches and eat breakfast; usually a piece of bread, or a bread pretzel, then go on their way.
I am a Roman Catholic and my fiance is Christian Orthodox, so I was curious about the differences between the two religions. FYI, Roman Catholics are allowed to marry in the Orthodox church.
These are pictures of the two Christian Orthodox Churches in Kumanovo, Macedonia. The first church is Holy Trinity Church, built in 1902. The second church is Saint Nikola Church, built in 1851.
To see more pictures of these Churches see my other post:
Holy Trinity Church & Saint Nikola Church Kumanovo, Macedonia
Other Churches in the Republic of Macedonia:
http://macedonia-blogs.blogspot.com/search/label/Churches
Here are some things I noticed at the Christian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Macedonia. When leaving the church, Macedonians exit the Church backwards, then perform the sign of the cross, from right shoulder to left shoulder, three times, then kiss their fingers. I guess the reason they exit backwards is to show respect to God, by not turning their back on him. I didn't see any of them dip their hands in Holy Water, like we do in the Catholic Religion, but I have seen containers with Holy Water in the Church. And being Catholic, I perform the sign of the cross from left shoulder to right shoulder. Also, in Macedonia, people wear their wedding band on their right ring finger, not their left ring finger. I didn't realize this at first, because most of the married women I've come in contact with, wear gold bands on both left and right ring fingers. Oh, and most people here don't rock the rock. They wear a solid gold band, no diamond included; and usually yellow gold. I have yet to see someone wearing white, platinum, or silver.
Back to the Church, after the service, many people light candles, for their family & friends. These candles burn outside the Church, probably for safety reasons. There are two levels of candles. The lower candles are burned for those that have died and the ones on top are for the living. The service is an hour and half, and afterwards, some people come sit outside on the benches and eat breakfast; usually a piece of bread, or a bread pretzel, then go on their way.
I am a Roman Catholic and my fiance is Christian Orthodox, so I was curious about the differences between the two religions. FYI, Roman Catholics are allowed to marry in the Orthodox church.
These are pictures of the two Christian Orthodox Churches in Kumanovo, Macedonia. The first church is Holy Trinity Church, built in 1902. The second church is Saint Nikola Church, built in 1851.
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| Holy Trinity Church, Kumanovo, Macedonia |
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| Saint Nikola Church, Kumanovo, Macedonia |
Holy Trinity Church & Saint Nikola Church Kumanovo, Macedonia
Other Churches in the Republic of Macedonia:
http://macedonia-blogs.blogspot.com/search/label/Churches
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