Стројник: личност од свадбениот обред што преминува во заборав и во сеќавање
The slow disappearance of the matchmaker (strojnik) from wedding rituals

Summary/Abstract: The paper examined the role of the matchmaker in the Macedonian wedding ceremony, who in the past was one of the main figures without whose role the subsequent wedding ceremony could not be imagined. We can say that this person is slowly passing into the memories of informants/interlocutors from the older and middle generation, while among the younger generation he is already forgotten. The goal of the paper was to show the role and function of the matchmaker in the wedding before his figure was completely forgotten; the symbolic props he carried to perform the ritual procedure; the ritual spaces and the time periods when he went to perform his function. The matchmaker was also considered from the perspective of social memory (Halbwachs and Connerton). First of all, Connerton’s theory of social memory is considered through ritual performances and bodily movements through recorded practices (written and archival materials), but also field research. Ethnographic material from various regions of Macedonia has shown that his image was engraved in the collective memory of the older generation. First and foremost, this includes his gestural movements during the ritual procedures he performed, both in the spaces he moved through and in the girl’s home, and the verbal expressions he used. In the ritual procedures and verbal expressions that are engraved in the memories of the informants/interlocutors, as well as in the archival and written materials, we highlighted the following characteristics: communication skills; the time periods when he was directed to perform his role; the ritual props he used. All of them express the idea that he was a mediator between the two families, that he was supposed to unite the two individuals, and the symbolism of all ritual props and ritual actions is tied to the principle of fertility. We also addressed the terminology that is familiar to us that stems from different parts of Macedonia.

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