Festivalinthecosyseasidetownof
PortsoyonthenorthAberdeenshire
coast.Famedfor itspicturesque
17th-century harbourandstone
buildings,thetownfrequentlystars
inTVcommercialsandfeaturefilms.
Vesselsregularlyattendingthe
festival,whichisonJune20-21in
2020,includetheIsabellaFortuna,
arestored,13-metrefishingboat
builtin1890,andtheWhiteWing,
aten-metresailingboatlaunched
in1917.Thefestivalalsobrings
inaf lotillaofsmallervessels.In
betweenvisitinglargerfishingships,
attendeescaneventryoutrowinga
coracle,asmalltraditionalround
boatmadeofwickerwork,inPort-
soy’soldharbour.
Whateveryouplanondoing,keep
theelementsinmind.“Beprepared
fortheScottishweather,bringsun-
screenandalsoanumbrella!”Vivien
Rae,oneoftheorganisers,advised.
Otherattractionsincludepipe
bandsandlotsoftemptingScottish
fareincludingArbroathSmokies– a
typeofsmokedhaddock– aswellas
friedfishandrarewhiskies.Visitors
cancheckoutthetown’smuseum,
housedina restoredicehouseand
salmonprocessingplantfrom1834,
whichincludesinformationonlocal
familyhistoriesandgenealog y.
Payattentiontotherules:inpre-
viousyears,theorganisershave
bannedbananasand whistling,
bothfrequentlybelievedbymari-
ners to bring bad luck. Evan RailWeddingFestival
GALICNIK,MACEDONIA
WEEKENDNEARESTJULY 12
OnlytworesidentsliveinGalicnik,
Macedonia,amountainsettlement
abouttenkilometreseastofAlbania,
butduringthevillage’sWeddingFes-
tival,thepopulationexplodes.Thou-
sandsoftravellersandreturningcoun-
trymenjoina two-dayblurofrevelry,
ritesandpageantry,culminatingwith
themarriageofa couplewithrootsin
thesettlement.
“Thefestivalstartedin 1963 us-
ingcustomsthatarecenturiesold,”
saidMarkoBekric,grandsonofthe
onlyyear-roundresidents.“Itbegan
sopeoplefromthevillage,whohad
immigratedormovedaway,could
comeback,getmarried,andcontin-
ueourtraditions.”
WhenthesunsetsonFriday,musi-
ciansplayingtraditionalwindinstru-
mentsanddrumsfileintoa banquet
hall-sizegazeboofrevellers.Platters
PHOTOS: of grilled meat vie for tablespace
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DAVID
B.
TORCH
FOR
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NEW
YORK
TIMES
(OPPOSITE
PAGE):
BY KATHY MANSFIELD
COURTESY SCOTTISH TRADITIONAL BOAT FESTIVAL; (THIS PAGE) TOMO CEREPNALKOSKI113