MAKING A SPILEON - MACEDONIAN TRADITION FOR KOLEDE

The most interesting thing about Kolede is making a spileon, of course, with the help of the elderly and with a special love and joy, they made a small cave that symbolizes the Bethlehem cave, and children gathered in squads, carry the cave from house to house, knock on the doors and sing a song about the Incarnation of God's Word.
Children improvised spileon

 And today in every city and village in Macedonia you can see how the children, collected in their neighborhoods, make improvised caves, so called 'Spileons', decorated with Christmas icons, spark plugs, candles, go from home to home, sing songs and collect coins.

The very word "spileon" testifies the old, Byzantine origin of this tradition, because it comes from the ancient Greek word "τό σπήλαιον", which means "cave".