Festival in the cosy seaside town of
Portsoy on the north Aberdeenshire
coast. Famed for its picturesque
17th-century harbour and stone
buildings, the town frequently stars
in TV commercials and feature films.
Vessels regularly attending the
festival, which is on June 20-21 in
2020, include theIsabella Fortuna,
a restored, 13-metre fishing boat
built in 1890, and the White Wing,
a ten-metre sailing boat launched
in 1917. The festival also brings
in a f lotilla of smaller vessels. In
between visiting larger fishing ships,
attendees can even try out rowing a
coracle, a small traditional round
boat made of wickerwork, in Port-
soy’s old harbour.
Whatever you plan on doing, keep
the elements in mind. “Be prepared
for the Scottish weather, bring sun-
screen and also an umbrella!” Vivien
Rae, one of the organisers, advised.
Other attractions include pipe
bands and lots of tempting Scottish
fare including Arbroath Smokies – a
type of smoked haddock – as well as
fried fish and rare whiskies. Visitors
can check out the town’s museum,
housed in a restored ice house and
salmon processing plant from 1834,
which includes information on local
family histories and genealog y.
Pay attention to the rules: in pre-
vious years, the organisers have
banned bananas and whistling,
both frequently believed by mari-
ners to bring bad luck. Evan RailWedding Festival
GALICNIK, MACEDONIA
WEEKEND NEAREST JULY 12
Only two residents live in Galicnik,
Macedonia, a mountain settlement
about ten kilometres east of Albania,
but during the village’s Wedding Fes-
tival, the population explodes. Thou-
sands of travellers and returning coun-
trymen join a two-day blur of revelry,
rites and pageantry, culminating with
the marriage of a couple with roots in
the settlement.
“The festival started in 1963 us-
ing customs that are centuries old,”
said Marko Bekric, grandson of the
only year-round residents. “It began
so people from the village, who had
immigrated or moved away, could
come back, get married, and contin-
ue our traditions.”
When the sun sets on Friday, musi-
cians playing traditional wind instru-
ments and drums file into a banquet
hall-size gazebo of revellers. Platters
PHOTOS: (PREVIOUS SPRE AD) DAVID B. TORCH FOR of grilled meat vie for table space
THE NEW YORK TIMES
(OPPOSITE PAGE): BY KATHY MANSFIELD
COURTESY SCOTTISH TRADITIONAL BOAT FESTIVAL; (THIS PAGE) TOMO CEREPNALKOSKI113