MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN No. 62 - missions.gov.mk

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STONE DOLLS, EARTH PYRAMIDS AND MERRY WEDDING
IN KUKLICA VILLAGE
Kuklica is a small village of a sparse type, 8 km northwest
of Kratovo. Situated on the right bank of the Kriva Reka
River, in the mid area of its basin, on an altitude of 430
to 700 meters above sea level, its broader area covers 13.7 sq.
kilometers. Kuklica is known for its typical erosive landforms
called earth pyramids or stone dolls. There are two groups
of earth pyramids; those in the central section of the small
depression, at the foot of Dubica Hill, are larger (up to 10 meters
high), independent and in the form of earth pillars; those to the
east (right) of them, right next to Zabel Hill, are smaller forms
(up to 5 meters high), standing close to one another and often
blended with the foot of the hill. Because of their peculiar look,
resembling human figures lined as “stoned wedding guests,”
locals call them “The Merry Wedding.”
Legend has it that a very long time ago, a great tragedy befell
the village of Kuklica. The boy, with whom a girl was desperately
in love, married another, which made the disappointed girl curse
MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN No. 62 – 2012
the would-be spouses. When their wedding day came, everything
seemed fine: the in-laws and other guests gathered together and
the merriment began. The moment the newlyweds kissed, the
curse came upon them and they all turned to stone. The stoned
wedding guests are monuments today to the misfortunate girl’s
pain. The locals call the place “The Merry Wedding” because the
merry company had all smiles on their faces and the newlyweds
were in a gentle embrace the moment they turned to stone. In
fact, it was these stone dolls that the village was named after.
With a little fantasy, every visitor can fill up the gaps in the story
bearing in mind that what happened to the girl that cast the spell
has remained a mystery. The local population says their ancestors
tried to break the spell of the grieving girl but failed.
Scientists, on the other hand, say that the stone figures were
created 10 million years ago, when there were still no people on the
planet. The vertical erosion of the volcanic rocks created “dolls” of
more than 10 meters high, which have dominated the surrounding