Abstract
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES IN THE MARITAL COMMUNITIES IN THE VILLAGE CHALIKLI YURUKS IN NORTH MACEDONIA DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD
North Macedonia is a region that carries a characteristic of the Turkish culture and civilization. In this region, the Turkish community has begun to settle since the 4th century. Nowdays, the Turkish population is scattered throughout the whole country but according to researches, the density of this population is considerable higher in East, Central and West Macedonia. The Turkish community in North Macedonia fought very hard to preserve its cultural heritage present in the post-Ottoman area. As a punishment for these fights, this population was sentenced death as can be seen in the case of the “Yugel” (tr: YÜCEL).
This research was conducted in the village of Chalikli in Valandovo where the characteristics of the Turks living in North Macedonia can be identified. The village of Chalikli, which has a rich culture and historical depth, is a Turkish settlement where the traditional Turkish culture, from the past until today, continues to exist in many ways.
The main goal is to register and pass on to the next generations the cultural values found in the Balkans that are slowly disappearing because of the impact of globalization. For this purpose, in a period of three years, we carried out studies in the region and the data obtained from the interviewees and the observation of living cultural elements was transferred to this declaration. This study also shows us that the Turkish culture is still present and lives within the borders North Macedonia.
Keywords
Turkishness of Macedonia, Chalikli, culture, transition periods, marriage.