Sveti Nikola (series)

Bektashi and Helveti Sufi Muslims in the mixed Muslim Christian environs of Kicevo come throughout the year the tiny Macedonian Orthodox chapel of Sveti Nikola to take blessings and to give gifts. The chapel, originally the burial shrine of H’d’r baba, the founder of a Bektashi tekke, was desacralized during the Titoist period and subsequently consecrated as a Christian chapel. Normally, Sufi and Christian icons decorate the walls while the floors are carpeted. In preparation for the 6 May liturgy for St George, local Christians roll up the carpets and hide the Sufi images behind the iconostasis. After the liturgy Bektashis come to the tomb of H’d’r baba (covering it with gifts and a green cloth) and sacrificing a lamb. Later, the Orthodox replace the carpets and rehang the Sufi images. On the 7th, Halveti Sufis visit, praying to H’d’r baba, engaging fulsomely with the priest and the aged Orthodox caretaker, and attempting divination on her son to assess why he has not yet found a wife.

Professor Glenn Bowman is Emeritus Professor of Socio-Cultural Anthropology at the University of Kent at Canterbury, and author of numerous works on shared religious sites.

Sveti Nikola (Saint Nicholas)​in Makedonski Brod, 5-7 May 2006​​by Glenn Bowman

Sveti Nikola (Saint Nicholas)
in Makedonski Brod, 5-7 May 2006
by Glenn Bowman