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The Balkan countries are located in the Southeastern Europe and the Balkan cultures are awesome. There are Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Bulgaria and Croatia. These countries together are called Balkan countries which are all different and have a different cultures. Each culture is specific for something, and it is beautiful and interesting in its own way. Balkans are well known for their folk music they made, which is very popular around the world nowadays.
Macedonian culture
Macedonians are people who are polite, and they speak Macedonian language or the South Slavic language, also they are known as Macedonian Slavs. The majority of the population are Orthodox Christians, and after them, almost 30% of the population are Muslims. The music in Macedonia is really similar to the other Balkan countries, especially to Serbs and Bulgarians which also speak in a similar language or Slavic language. Tose Proeski is one of the best musicians in Macedonia of all time who gained fame even outside of the Balkan. Macedonia also have excellent artists such as Lazar Licenovski and Nikola Martinoski. Tavce Gravce is their traditional dish, accompanied by rakija.
Culture of Montenegro
Montenegro, which means Black Mountain, has a very diverse culture. Their traditional dance is called Oro on a folk melodies. The traditional dishes has a small influence from Italia in the way they cook their food, and also from Turkey because their traditional food are also musaka, burek, kebab, baklava. They wanted to expand the number of artists in their country and they opened several schools and faculties for art, music and theatre. Montenegrin people are well known as lazy people and there are so many jokes about their laziness.
Serbian culture
Serbs are so similar to Macedonians, they make a similar folk music, people have a similar mentality and they have a similar art and traditions. Also they speak in a similar language which is a Slavic language. People’s surnames in Serbia have the suffix –ic, such as Bosnians and Croatians. Their traditional food are podvarak, sarma and cevapcici. The Serbian literature is very important for the Serbs and they have a very good authors and poets such as Ivo Andric (who is the most famous writer in that region who gained fame all around the world with his novel The Bridge on the Drina), Borislav Pekic, Miodrag Bulatovic.
Their tradition Slava is the best tradition in the country, were the family and friends are gathering in someone’s home when they are celebrating Slava once a year. This tradition is celebrating also in Macedonia.
Culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnians have a rich literature and have a really good writers and poets such as Matija Divkovic, Jovan Dudic, Branko Copic and Aleksa Santic. They have also famous and very good artists such as Ismet Mujezinovic and Gabrijel Jurkic. The art in Bosnia and Herzegovina is really interesting for the people, their medieval tombstones in Kotromanic court are monuments of the Bosnian art. Bosnian traditional music is a little bit different from the other countries from the Balkan. They also listen pop and rock music and they have a lot pop and rock music bands and singers like Bjelo dugme, Zdravko Colic, Dino Merlin and Goran Bregovic.
Albanian culture
Albanians have a varieties of dance festivals with their traditional clothes throughout the Albania in that they have music talents and they appreciate the music. Their wedding rituals are so interesting and famous, the bride has specific dress for her wedding and there are two types of dresses. They also have ritual songs for the wedding and the bride gets a lot of gifts from the groom and his family, the gifts are especially gold, and that is all for showing that the family will take care of the bride.
Bulgarian culture
Bulgaria has the richest folk in the Balkan. I have to mention Yoan Kukuzel, who was famous composer, well known in the 14th century. The Bulgarians speak in a Bulgarian language also Slavic language similar to Macedonian and Serbian language. Gadulka is their traditional folk instrument and they are much targeted towards music. It is interesting that Bulgarians from 1 March till the end of the month wear the matenitsa, which are red or white, and they symbolize health and tranquility.