“Brutal, Offensive, Pure, True”: Welcome To Vevčani Festival

I went to Vevčani festival in rural North Macedonia. It is perhaps the wildest village festival in the Balkans. Every Orthodox Christian New Year period villagers get dressed up as pagan characters, monsters or political figures, drink large amounts of rakia, then perform rituals and parade around the village. It’s supposed to be an expression of independent spirit and free speech, but some think that the more extreme costumes are beyond the pale. Episodes of Keep Going: An Unexpected Travel Podcast are currently coming out every two weeks, in the usual podcast places and with full videos on the pod's YouTube channel. Subscribe to get episodes as soon as they land. Writing, recording, narration: Jamie FullertonSound editing: Samira TazariMusic: Olguita AcuñaPodcast artwork: Nini Giunàshvili Vevčani location: Google Maps Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.