Always closely connected with their motherland, the Macedonians lived with centuries with the tradition they passed over from generation to generation and thus creating new, rare and unusual substantial and spiritual culture with patriarhic features. From their extensive cultural heritage, the Macedonian creators of impressive folklore poetry and music preserved significant cultural heritage even today - Macedonian folklore art.

Macedonian folklore art developed alongside its creators as a reflection of the creative spirit and high values of the Macedonians. It matured on the basis of Old-Slavic and Balkan art as well as on the basis of the various elements from the other peoples, especially Byzantium and Turkey. Even today the Macedonians live together with several other nationalities (Vlahs, Albanians, Turks) that has an impact on the development of Macedonian art. Although Macedonian folklore embraces exotic elements, it still developed independently and uniquely transforming itself according to its taste and changing it into its indivisible part.

The artistic activity and talent was transferred to everyday objects that, at the same time, were simple, beautiful and practical. Abiding the traditional technological process inherited from former times, the anonimuous author created various objects from plants and animal substances such as: wood, clay, stone, metal and other natural substances. The different objects for everyday use, especially the practical ones, were enriched with aesthetic features.

Special attention was given to apparel design and decoration. The traditional costumes are the most obvious and numerous examples of traditional creations. The traditional costumes in Macedonia were created for a long time, so the traces from old cultural influences are obvious. The elements of the Old Balkan, the Slav culture as well as the oreinetal culture were also incorporated with the old cultural influences. Western Macedonia, divided into smaller regional units with different ethnic traits, is a real mosaic of various beautiful costumes, especially women's customs.

The decorative Macedonian embroidery, with characteristical forms and picturesque colours, gives the national costumes special expression and originality. Women's garments are distinctively decorated. They are the main feature of such traditional artistic creations. The embroidery is not only an artistic expression and important element, but it is also the most distinctive part of the costumes from the different regions. It was their trademark according to which one could tell the origin of the costume.

Most often Macedonian folklore embroidery was made of woolen or silk thread with red being the predominate colour. Light red is especially common for the Prilep, Bitola, Debar and Ohrid regions. Women's garments from Dolni Polog and Skopska Crna Gora are decorated with black embroidery and it reminds on the stylistic composition of Early Christian textile decor.

Folklore textile in Macedonia is an important branch of folklore art. Although today its use is limited, it continues to be a necessary and indivisible part of every Macedonian in most regions. Macedonian carpets made in Ohrid, Prilep, Krusevo are especially significant. They are truly valuable because of the beauty, rich decoration and harmonic colours. Jewlery has a special place in Macedonian folklore art. It is considered as the most decorative and inseparable part of the traditional costumes alongside the embroidery. The jewelry is made of various substances (gold, silver, bronze, copper), and with different techniques (filigree, gravure, molding). The jewelry has various forms, many decorations and is harmonized with the costumes. Macedonian jewelry can be found in the well known filigree centers in Bitola, Ohrid, Struga, Skopje, from where the hand-made objects are distributed throughout the country.

Same samples of jewelry are real filigree masterpieces with old preserved forms and elements. Especially richly ornamented is the jewelry found on the formal women's garment from Skopska Crna Gora, Skopska Blatija, Struga and Ohrid district, and Prilep valley. It gives the traditional costume a special artistic effect. Apart from the metal jewelry, various pearl ornaments from Eastern Macedonia can be found. The pearl jewelry is hand-made with very rich stylistic motifs.

Various metal objects for everyday use made by blacksmiths have artistic forms and have hand-made gravure or a relief on the surface. These copper bowls are very frequent in Macedonia especially in the towns Ohrid, Prilep, Krusevo and Skopje. They have distinctive forms and original lines and are well combined functional objects. Pottery in Macedonia developed throughout many centuries, and today it can be found in the centers in Veles,Resen, Struga, Skopje, Debar, especially in village Vranestica, Kicevo district.

Macedonian pottery is distinguished by its ancient forms that give the objects monumental impression. Such are the massive and heavy bowls from Debar, Struga and Skopje. The pottery objects are made of clay and they are decorated was quite primitive means: colours, graphite, relief motifs. With their different forms and rich decorations they leave the impression of well-developed sense for art and fertile imagaination.

Folklore gravure reached its peak in the well known creations of the Macedonian carvers from Miyak, population that lived in the mountains near Debar. They gave form to the wood like professional wood-cutters and created special and specific art that raised the folklore level and became common Balkan heritage.

The masters from Miyak created both surface carvings and deep carvings. They decorated the rich houses in the towns (in Tetovo, Debar), the churches St. Spas - Skopje, St. Dimitar - Bitola and the monastery St. Jovan Bigorski in Macedonia, as well as all over the Balkans, and left valuable cultural and historical monuments and masterpieces of this branch in the Macedonian folklore art.