Wedding Season: Šuta Orizari neighbourhood on the outskirts of Macedonia’s capital Skopje

When we decided to visit Šuta Orizari neighbourhood, also known as Shutka, on the outskirts of Macedonia’s capital Skopje, we didn’t know what to expect. We knew it is the largest Roma settlement in Europe and the only municipality in the world which uses the Roma language. Personally, I did expect the streets to be full of loud and colorful people, who are happy and rejoice together, even though they may be poor.

My boyfriend tried to lower my expectations and said: „Hey, don’t expect everyone to run around in a colorful gypsy clothing, play instru- ments and sing songs. It’s just the outskirts.“

Well, that’s exactly what it looked like. It was a wedding season.