The beggar’s and fiddler’s center in Mariovo was of a special importance among the ten beggar’s and fiddler’s centers in Macedonia, in the past.
When compared with those from the cities, especcialy with the most popular ones from Prilep, Bitola, Ohrid and Veles, it is characterized with the most autochthonous specific qualities from which the most important were the space pounding and the absence of effective compactness.
On the other hand, just because of the bad hygienic conditions, the local attitude towards the diseases and their treatment, and the low living standard, it was not only the richest center with a rising generation but also a place where other centers, especcialy the one in Prilep, could find new kadre. Fit to find their bearings and clever, a great number of them, like Mitre Tchapkun from the last century, become animators of the whole beggar’s and fiddler’s life of other centers.
Beggars-fiddlers from Mariovo who travelled very often in the villages of Mariovo and then in Prilep and its area, in Bitola and its area, but in all Macedonia as well, used to decide to take long itineraries which lasted for several months visiting a lot of places in Serbia, Bulgaria and some other countries. They could be easily identified according to their national clothing. As a musical instrument they ussualy used the macedonian three-string fiddle but not so rarely the bagpipe, as well. They used to sing the macedonian epic songs in resonancly and all those songs that had their origin from the poetic region in Mariovo.
Author: Aleksandar Sterjovski, Bitola
„Фолклорот и етнологијата во Мариово и Меглен“ – Зборник на трудови издаден 1994г
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