17 August 2010 | A Macedonian and his Kazakh bride have taken their marital vows in full diving equipment in the waters of the famous Lake Ohrid, in the first such wedding of its kind in Macedonia.

Forty-year-old Ante and his bride Katerina, 34, who are both divers, first exchanged rings, then kissed and opened a champagne bottle to celebrate.

After the formalities, they used their half-an-hour stay in the three-metre deep water for a short tour of the lake bed.

The underwater ceremony, the first of its kind in Macedonia, proved to be a spectacle for the onlookers who watched the couple from nearby boats.

“We wanted to do this a long time”, the diving instructor Milutin Sekulovski from the diving club Amfora that organised the ceremony told media.

Sekulovski, who oversaw the wedding of the couple said: “This could soon turn in to a real tourist attraction for those who seek water adventures and fun”.

It took two days for the organisers and the family to prepare for the unusual event. The ceremony was held in one of the most picturesque places on the shore of the lake near the old monastery dedicated to St. Naum of Ohrid, close to the main springs which provide the lake with water.

The newly weds said they had no problem with the chilling water near the springs which keeps a constant temperature of around 10 degrees Celsius unlike in the rest of the lake where it is perfectly fit for a swim.

Lake Ohrid, and the town with the same name situated along its shores, are by far the biggest tourist attraction in Macedonia.

The whole area is declared a UNESCO world heritage site for its natural, historic and cultural significance.

The lake itself is one of the oldest in the world. Its unusually clear waters hold several indigenous species and the surrounding mountains hide even more.

The town of Ohrid is considered to be one of the oldest human settlements.

With many old monasteries the town was historically an important centre of Orthodox Christianity. It holds one of the most valued collections of icons in the world.

This article is courtesy of Balkan Insight, the online publication of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, which contains analytical reports, in-depth analyses and investigations and news items from throughout the region covering major challenges of the political, social and economic transition in the Balkans.

Read more about Macedonia BalkanTravellers.com
Use BalkanTravellers.com's tips to organize your trip to Macedonia