Abstract
SKOPJE FOLK BELIFS
By the time, the Old Turks have accepted Islam; they had spread over wide areas and had been under the influence of many different religions and cultures. Despite being outside of the Islamic faith, many of the superstitious beliefs, considered to be remnants of religious beliefs and cultures whose roots go back centuries, have been passed down from generation to generation and have survived until today. Such beliefs have influenced and shaped people's lives since ancient times. Although there is no scientific explanation regarding the definition of folk beliefs, such beliefs continue to affect people's lives and live on showing some changes according to the cultural and historical structure of societies.
The Balkans, meaning “mountain range” or “highlands”, is the region which has become the homeland of peoples belonging to different languages, religions and civilizations as well as Turkish tribes such as the Avars, Vardars, Pechenegs and Cumans, coming from Central Asia and settling in the Balkans, from the fourth century onwards. For more than a thousand years, different communities living in the Balkans have interacted in terms of culture and lifestyle. Therefore, it is common that a practice seen in Turks is also seen in Macedonian, Bosniac or Albanian communities. Of course, the same is true for Turkish communities. It can be understood from today's practices that the existence of similar cultural elements in different geographies is not a coincidence.
The study covers folk beliefs, which are one of the important components of the folk culture kept alive among Turks, Macedonians, Bosniacs and Albanians living in Skopje. Folk beliefs compiled in the Skopje region have been classified according to their subjects, also attempting to evaluate similar and different beliefs and practices regarding the ongoing beliefs among communities.
Keywords
Folk beliefs, Turkish, Macedonian, Albanian, Bosniac.
