Everything about Slavic Macedonians totally explained
The
Macedonians also referred to as
Macedonian Slavs are a
South Slavic people who are primarily associated with the
Republic of Macedonia. They speak the
Macedonian language, a
South Slavic language. About three quarters of all ethnic Macedonians live in the
Republic of Macedonia, although there are also communities in a number of other countries.
Origins
Anthropology
The ancestry of present-day Macedonians is mixed. Their linguistic and cultural origins stem from the 6th century when various
Slavic tribes migrated to, and settled in, the region of
Macedonia.
The official position of the
Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts is that as a whole the modern Macedonian genotype developed as a result of the absorption by the advancing
Slavs of the local peoples living in the
Region of Macedonia prior to their coming (Illyrians, Thracians, Greeks, Romans, etc.). This position is backed by the findings of most ethnographers such as
Vasil Kanchov,
Gustav Weigand, and the
anthropologist Carleton S. Coon, which state that the Slavs in 6th century actively assimilated other tribal peoples by absorbing part of the indigenous populations of the area, including
Greeks,
Thracians and
Illyrians. By absorbing parts of the peoples living there the Slavs also absorbed their culture, and in that amalgamation a people was gradually formed with predominantly Slavic ethnic elements, speaking a Slavonic language and with a Slavic-Byzantine culture.
Some early 20th century researchers as
William Z. Ripley, Coon and
Bertil Lundman, mainly considering the language as an indicator, described the Slavic speakers in Macedonia as
Bulgarians, and often placed the both populations in a common
racial subgroup. Other authors, like
H. N. Brailsford, described Slavic speakers from Macedonia as related both with
Serbs and Bulgarians, but still having attributes of a separate people.
Certain scholars like
Russian Alexander F. Rittih have stated that Macedonians didn't intermix with any of the
Turkic tribes that raided eastern Balkan regions such as
Moesia Inferior,
Wallachia and
Dobrudja (modern Bulgaria and Romania) from the tenth century onwards. Because of the nature of their
geographic location, Macedonians only mixed with the indegenous Balkaners that lived in the
Region of Macedonia, and not later invaders. This view, held prominently in Macedonia, makes the ancestry of Macedonians unique compared to their eastern neighbours.
Genes
The Macedonian population is also of special interest for
anthropological study in the light of unanswered questions regarding its origin and relationship with other populations, especially the neighbouring Balkan peoples. According to some researches, they're most related to the Greeks, Bulgarians, and Romanians, but according to others, Macedonians are closest to
Croats and
Czechs.. Macedonians are genetically closely related to the other
Slavic people (the frequency of the proposed
Slavic Haplogroup R1a1, formerly Eu19 ranges to 35% in Macedonians. They are sharply differentiated from their southern neighbours, the Greeks:
Similar cases of even more significant frequency change over a short geographic distance occur between the southern Slavic-speaking populations and their adjacent neighbors:...and Macedonians versus Greeks (30.0%; 95% CI 19.1%–43.8% vs.13.8%; 95% CI 10.1%–18.5%).
They also share"the genetic contribution of the people who lived in the region before the
Slavic peoples expansion" . It is also corroborated that there's some non-
European, inflow in the modern Macedonians.Furthermore, these genetic studies support the theories that Macedonians genetic heritage is derived from a mixture of ancient Balkan peoples, as well as the relatively newly arrived Slavs with deep European roots.
Population
The vast majority of Macedonians live along the valley of the river
Vardar, the central region of the Republic of Macedonia and form about 64.18% of the population of the Republic of Macedonia (1,297,981 people according to the
2002 census
). Smaller numbers live in eastern
Albania, south-western
Bulgaria, northern
Greece, and southern
Serbia, mostly abutting the border areas of the Republic of Macedonia. A large number of Macedonians have immigrated overseas to
Australia,
USA,
Canada and in many European countries:
Germany, the
United Kingdom,
Italy, and
Austria, among others.
Macedonians abroad
Serbia
Serbia recognizes the Macedonian minority on its territory as a distinct ethnic group and counts them in its annual census. 25,847 people declared themselves Macedonians in the
2002 census.
Bulgaria
In the
2001 census in
Bulgaria, 5,071 people declared themselves ethnic Macedonians (see the official data in Bulgarian
here). Krassimir Kanev, chairman of the
NGO Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, claimed 15,000 - 25,000 in 1998 (see
here). In the same report Macedonian nationalists (Popov et al, 1989) claimed that 200,000 ethnic Macedonians live in Bulgaria. However,
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee stated that the vast majority of the Slavic population in
Pirin Macedonia has a Bulgarian national self-consciousness and a regional Macedonian identity similar to the Macedonian regional identity in Greek Macedonia. Finally, according to personal evaluation of a leading local ethnic Macedonian political activist, Stoyko Stoykov, the present number of Bulgarian citizens with ethnic Macedonian self-consciousness is between 5,000 and 10,000 (
source). (The
Encarta Encyclopaedia states that Macedonians make up 2.5% of the total population,
for example approximately 190,000, with no mention of how this figure is obtained, as it's evidently refuted by the latest census figures, see
here.)
Macedonian groups in the country have reported official harassment (see
Human rights in Bulgaria), with the Bulgarian Constitutional Court banning a small Macedonian political party in
2000 as separatist and Bulgarian local authorities banning political rallies. A
political organization of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria –
UMO Ilinden-Pirin – claims that the minority has experienced a period of intensive assimilation and repression. It should be noted though that the Republic of Macedonia banned a similar pro-Bulgarian organization -
Radko - as separatist
(External Link).
Albania
Albania recognizes ethnic Macedonians as an ethnic minority and delivers primary education in the
Macedonian language in the border regions where most ethnic Macedonians live. In the 1989 census, 4,697 people declared themselves ethnic Macedonians.
Ethnic Macedonian organizations allege that the government undercounts their number and that they're politically under-represented - there are no ethnic Macedonians in the Albanian parliament. Some say that there has been disagreement among the Slav-speaking Albanian citizens about their being members of a Macedonian nation as a significant percentage of their number are
Torbeš and self-identify as
Albanians. External estimates on the population of ethnic Macedonians in Albania include 10,000
(External Link), whereas ethnic Macedonian sources have claimed that there are 120,000 - 350,000 ethnic Macedonians in Albania
(External Link).
Greece
» See also: Aegean Macedonians, Minorities in Greece#Slavic-speaking, Slavic language (Greece)
According to the latest Greek figures of 2006, there are 1,406 holders of citizenship of the Republic of Macedonia in Greece
(External Link), although it should be noted that Greek census, like the censuses of some other EU member states (Italy, Spain, Denmark, France etc.), don't take into account the ethnicity of the inhabitants of the country and that immigration has significantly increased since then.
Claims regarding the existence of an ethnic Macedonian minority in Greece are rejected by the Greek government. These claims are directed at the Slavic-speaking community of northern Greece, which dominantly self-identifies as Greek (not as ethnic Macedonian)
(External Link) and defines its language as
Slavic or
Dopia (a Greek word for 'local'). This community numbered by 41,017 people according to the latest Greek census to include a question on mother tongue held in 1951, and local authorities in Greece continue to acknowledge its existence. Depending on dialect, this language is classified by linguists as either
Bulgarian or
Macedonian. The size of this community identifying as 'ethnic Macedonians' today is estimated by the
Greek Helsinki Monitor, at around 10,000-30,000, any others resenting having their Hellenism questioned. GHM is basing this figure on the electoral performance of the ethnic Macedonian political party the region of
Greek Macedonia: the
Rainbow, which was founded around
1995 and received only 2,955 votes in Greek Macedonia in the
2004 elections
(External Link). In 2007, it didn't stand for elections. The overwhelming majority of Greece's Slavic-speaking community is composed of people with Greek consciousness, which are
pejoratively referred to with the term
Grkomani by people in the Republic of Macedonia and trans-national ethnic Macedonian communities. In 1993, at the height of the name controversy and just before joining the UN, the government in Skopje claimed that there were between 230,000 and 270,000 Macedonians living in northern Greece, while the Athens government claimed there were around 100,000 Greeks in the Republic of Macedonia.
(External Link).
Other countries
Significant Macedonian communities can also be found in the traditional immigrant-receiving nations, as well as in Western European countries. It should be noted that census data in many European countries (such as
Italy and
Germany) doesn't take into account the ethnicity of émigrés from the
Republic of Macedonia:
- Australia: The official number of Macedonians in Australia by birthplace or birthplace of parents is 82,000 (2001). The main Macedonian communities are found in Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle, Canberra and Perth. (The 2006 Australian Census included a question of 'ancestry' which, according to Members of the Australian-Macedonian Community, this will result in a 'significant' increase of 'ethnic Macedonians' in Australia. However, the 2006 census recorded 83,983 people of Macedonian (ethnic) ancestry.) See also Macedonian Australians;
- Canada: The Canadian census in 2001 records 31,265 individuals claimed wholly- or partly-Macedonian heritage in Canada (2001), although community spokesmen have claimed that there are actually 100,000-150,000 Macedonians in Canada (External Link) (see also Macedonian Canadians);
- USA: A significant Macedonian community can be found in the United States of America. The official number of Macedonians in the USA is 43,000 (2002). The Macedonian community is located mainly in Michigan, New York, Ohio, Indiana and New Jersey (External Link) (See also Macedonian Americans);
- Germany: There are an estimated 61,000 citizens of the Republic of Macedonia in Germany (2001);
- Italy: There are 74, 162 citizens of the Republic of Macedonia in Italy (Foreign Citizens in Italy).
- Switzerland: In 2006 the Swiss Government recorded 60,362 Macedonian Citizens living in Switzerland.
- Romania:Ethnic Macedonians are an officially recognised minority group in Romania. They have a special reserved seat in the nations parliament. In 2002 the numbered 731. (see also Macedonians in Romania)
- Slovenia: Ethnic Macedonians have been immigrating to Slovenia since the 1950's (see also Macedonians in Slovenia)
Other significant ethnic Macedonian communities can also be found in the other Western European countries such as
Austria,
France,
Switzerland,
Netherlands,
United Kingdom, etc.
Culture
The culture of the Macedonian people is characterized with both traditionalist and modernist attributes. It is strongly bound with their native land and the surrounding in which they live. The rich cultural heritage of the Macedonians is accented in the folklore, the picturesque traditional folk costumes, decorations and ornaments in city and village homes, the architecture, the monasteries and churches, iconostasis, wood-carving and so on.
Architecture
The typical Macedonian village house is presented as a construction with two floors, with a hard facade composed of large stones and a wide balcony on the second floor. In villages with predominantly agricultural economy, the first floor was often used as a storage for the harvest, while in some villages the first floor was used as a cattle-pen.
The stereotype for a traditional Macedonian city house is a two-floor building with white façade, with a forward extended second floor, and black wooden elements around the windows and on the edges.
Economy
In the past, the Macedonian population was predominantly involved with agriculture, with a very small portion of the people who were engaged in trade (mainly in the cities). But after the creation of the People’s Republic of Macedonia which started a social transformation based on Socialist principles, a middle and hard industry was being created.
Identities
» See also: Macedonian Question
Macedonians are people with a unique identity derived from an influence of different cultures. The large majority identify themselves as
Orthodox Christians, who speak a
Slavic language, and share similarities in culture with their
Balkan neighbours.
Prior to the beginning of the Macedonian awakening
However, the concept of a distinct "Macedonian" ethnicity is seen as a relatively new arrival to the milieu of peoples that's the Balkans. The first records of people who called themselves Macedonians in ethnic connotation occurred in the late 19th century. Previously, any reference to "Macedonians" in medieval and early modern times tended to be used as a regional description rather than a distinct ethnic designation. Such examples include the Greek
Macedonian dynasty which at one stage ruled the
Byzantine Empire. References have also been made to
Macedonian Slav rebellions against Byzantine rule, but these have been interpreted by most scholars as non-specific, regional designations. The first ethnographic data pertaining to the Macedonian region as a whole emerged during
Ottoman rule. These censuses lack any reference to a specific "Macedonian" ethnicity, but only records the population as either Greek or Bulgarian, as well as other minorities - Turks, Aromanians, Jews and Albanians.
Most of the ethnographers and travellers during
Ottoman rule classified Slavic speaking people in Macedonia as Bulgarians. Examples include the 17th Century traveller
Evliya Celebi in his
Seyahatname -
Book of Travels- and the Ottoman census of
Hilmi Pasha in 1904 and later. However, they also remarked that the language spoken in Macedonia had somewhat of a distinctive character - often described as a "Western Bulgarian dialect".
(External Link) Evidence also exists that certain Macedonian Slavs, particularly those in the northern regions, considered themselves as
Serbs(External Link) and the
Greek Idea predominated in southern Macedonia where it was supported by substantial part of the Slavic population. However, there were ethnographers like Jovan Cvijić and Alexander F. Rittih that qualified the Slavic-speaking population of Macedonia as a separate ethnicity.
The Macedonian Question
During Ottoman rule, most of the Christian population of Macedonia didn’t have a formed national identity. They identified themselves through religion. This was due to the
millet system, which separated the population according to its religion, rather than ethnographic principles, and due to the strong Byzantine traditions of the Macedonian population until the mid 19th century, the Macedonians were a compact archaic Slavic mass, without a formed national identity.
With the beginning of the Greek national renaissance, and after the creation of the modern Greek state, the Slavic-speaking people of Macedonia were considered as Greeks, because the Greek Patriarchy was given the exclusive right to manage the religious and political life of the Christians within the Ottoman Empire. . After the beginning of the Bulgarian awakening, a lot of Macedonians saw it as a chance to struggle against the Greek religious dominance, and joined the process. Besides the existing Greek schools, new Bulgarian ones were being opened. Afterwards Serbia also started opening propagandist schools, and soon in the beginning of the 20th century, Macedonia became an arena in which Bulgarian, Greek and Serbian educational and church institutions were struggling for the assimilation of the local population.
Knowing that the Ottoman Empire rather grouped people together along
religious orientation, those Macedonians that were under the jurisdiction of the
Greek Patriarchate were considered Greeks, those under the
Bulgarian Exarchate were considered Bulgarians, and those under Serbian Patriarchate as Serbs. After
1871 the majority of the Slav-speakers were under the influence of the
Bulgarian Exarchate and its education system, thus in the early 20th century and beyond, were regarded as
Bulgarians, whatever that meant.. The term
Bulgarian, within the context of Macedonian inhabitants, could have referring to any Slavic speaking Christian, regardless of specific ethnic orientation.
In general, national awakening in the Balkans developed later compared to Western Europe, developing last of all in Macedonia. By this time Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia had already declared themselves as autonomous sovereign Kingdoms. Continued Turkish oppression in Macedonia was coupled by polarising influences from Macedonia's neighbours. As each country vied to expand further, for example into Macedonia, they attempted to persuade the Macedonian population into allegiance. The forum of this persuasion was via provision of education and church services. During Ottoman rule, the Greeks became dominant within the Orthodox millet, however with the majority of Macedonians being illiterate, they were effectively insulated from
Hellenization. Later, most Macedonians turned to the growing
Bulgarian Exarchate and its education system due to the affinity of the languages compared to Greek.
Historical claims on Macedonia
Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia also claimed a historic right to Macedonia: Greece promoted the view that the modern Greeks were the closest living people to the ancient Macedonians, the original inhabitants of the southern (Greek) part of Macedonia- thus as their modern "successors", the Greeks believed Macedonia was rightfully Greek. The Bulgarians claimed Macedonia because it had been a vital part of the
Bulgarian Empire and because according to the
Treaty of San Stefano in 1878 Macedonia was granted to the new
Principality of Bulgaria. However, the
Great Powers revised this treaty a few months later on the
Congress of Berlin. Objectively, Bulgaria was closest linguistically and culturally to Macedonia. Likewise, Serbia evoked medieval legacy, whereby the Macedonian city of
Skopje served as the capital of
Stefan Dušan's 14th century Empire. The propaganda continued until the period between
1878 and
1912 when the rival propagandas succeeded in engaging the Slavic speaking population of Macedonia into three distinct parties, the pro-Serbian, the pro-Greek or the pro-Bulgarian one, at the expense of development of a unique Macedonian identity.
Macedonian awakening
» See also: National awakening of the ethnic Macedonians
The national awakening of the ethnic Macedonians gathered pace in the late 19th century and early 20th century - this is the time of the first expressions of
ethnic nationalism by limited groups of intellectuals in
Belgrade,
Sofia,
Istanbul,
Thessaloniki and
St. Petersburg. These individuals propagated the unique character of the Slavic speaking population of
Macedonia (region), that is, that the Slavic-speakers of Macedonia compose a separate ethnicity which is different from Serbian and Bulgarian. The activities of these people was registered by
Petko Slaveykov and
Stojan Novaković
The first author that propagated the separate ethnicity of the Macedonians was
Georgi Pulevski, who in 1875 published "Dictionary of Three languages: Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish", in which he wrote:
In 1903
Krste Misirkov he published his book
On Macedonian Matters in which he laid down the principles of the modern Macedonian nationhood and language. This book is considered by ethnic Macedonians as a milestone of the ethnic Macedonian identity and the apogee of the process of Macedonian awakening. In his article "Macedonian Nationalism" he wrote:
The next great figure of the Macedonian awakening was
Dimitrija Čupovski, one of the founders of the of the
Macedonian Literary Society, established in
Saint Petersburg in
1902. In the period
1913-
1918, Čupovski published the newspaper
Македонскi Голосъ (Macedonian Voice) in which he and fellow members of the Petersburg Macedonian Colony propagated the existence of a
Macedonian people separate from the
Greeks,
Bulgarians and
Serbs, and sought to popularize the idea for an independent Macedonian state.
After the
Balkan Wars, following division of the
region of Macedonia amongst the
Kingdom of Greece, the
Kingdom of Bulgaria and the
Kingdom of Serbia, and after
World War I, the idea of belonging to a separate Macedonian nation was further spread among the Slavic-speaking population. The suffering during the wars, the endless struggle of the Balkan monarchies for dominance over the population increased the Macedonians' sentiment that the institutionalization of an independent Macedonian nation would put an end to their suffering. On the question of whether they were Serbs or Bulgarians, the people more often started answering: "Neither Bulgar, nor Serb... I'm Macedonian only, and I'm sick of war."
The first revolutionary organization that promoted the existence of a separate ethnic Macedonian nation was
IMRO (United), composed of former left-wing
IMRO members. This idea was internationalized and backed by the
Comintern which issued in 1934 a declaration supporting the development of the entity. This action was attacked by the
IMRO, but was supported by the
Balkan communists. The Balkan communist parties supported the national consolidation of the ethnic Macedonian people and created Macedonian sections within the parties, headed by prominent IMRO (United) members. The sense of belonging to a separate Macedonian nation gained credence during
World War II when ethnic Macedonian partisan detachments were formed, and especially after World War II when ethnic Macedonian institutions were created in the three parts of
Macedonia (region), including the establishment of the
People's Republic of Macedonia within
Socialist Yugoslavia.
History
The history of the ethnic Macedonians is closely associated with the
historical and geographical region of Macedonia, and is manifested with their constant struggle for an independent state. After many decades of insurrections and living through several wars, the Macedonians in
WWII managed to create their own country.
Symbols
| Image:Coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia.svg|The official Coat of Arms
Image:Flag of Macedonia.svg|The Flag of the Republic of Macedonia
|
| Image:Mac coat arms unoff.gif|Unofficial Coat of Arms
Image:Flag of Macedonia 1991-95.svg|The Vergina Sun (1992 to 1995)
|
Sun: The official flag of the Republic of Macedonia, adopted in 1995, is a yellow sun with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of the red field.
Coat of Arms: After independence in 1992, the Republic of Macedonia retained the coat of arms adopted in 1946 by the People's Assembly of the People's Republic of Macedonia on its second extraordinary session held on July 27, 1946, later on altered by article 8 of the Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Macedonia. The coat-of-arms is composed by a double bent garland of ears of wheat, tobacco and poppy, tied by a ribbon with the embroidery of a traditional folk costume. In the center of such a circular room there are mountains, rivers, lakes and the sun; where the ears join there's a red five-pointed star, a traditional symbol of Communism. All this is said to represent "the richness of our country, our struggle, and our freedom".
Unofficial symbols
Lion: The lion first appears in 1595 in the Korenich-Neorich coat of arms, where the coat of arms of Macedonia is included among with those of eleven other countries. On the coat of arms is a crown, inside a yellow crowned lion is depicted standing rampant, on a red background. On the bottom enclosed in a red and yellow border is written "Macedonia". Later versions of these coat of arms include a more detailed crown and lion with the word "Macedonia" written in a scroll like style. These coat of arms have also been adopted as the official emblem of VMRO-DPMNE, a Macedonian political party. Initially, it was adopted as a state symbol by Bulgaria.}
Vergina Sun: (official flag, 1992-1995) The Vergina Sun is occasionally used to represent the Macedonian people by the diaspora through associations and cultural groups. The Vergina Sun is believed to have been associated with ancient Macedonian kings such as Alexander the Great and Philip II, although it was used as an ornamental design in Greek art long before the Macedonian period. The symbol was discovered in the Greek region of Macedonia and Greeks regard it as an exclusively Greek symbol, unrelated to Slavic cultures and it's copyrighted under WIPO as a State Emblem of Greece (External Link). The Vergina sun on a red field was the first flag of the independent Republic of Macedonia, until it was removed from the state flag under an agreement reached between the Republic of Macedonia and Greece in September 1995. Nevertheless, the Vergina sun is still used (External Link) unofficially as a national symbol by some groups in the country along with the new state flag.
Macedonians through History
Image:Tane Nikolov Apostol Petkov.jpg.jpg|Apostol Petkov (right) and fellow Bulgarian revolutionary Tane Nikolov
.
Image:Dimitrija Cupovski.jpg|Dimitrija Cupovski, Macedonian textbook writer and lexicographer
Image:Racin.jpg|Kočo Racin, Poet and Writer
Image:Hristijan Todorovski Karposh.JPG|Hristijan Todorovski Karposh, member of the People's Liberation Army of Macedonia
Image:Metodija Andonov Cento.jpg|Metodija Andonov-Čento, Statesman and president of ASNOM
Image:Risto krle.jpg|Risto Krle, playwright
Image:Lazar Kolishevski.JPG|Lazar Koliševski, Political leader and Communist
Image:Milco Mancevski at the University of Chicago.jpg|Milčo Mančevski, film director and screen writer
Image:Simon Trpceski.jpg|Simon Trpceski, pianist
Image:Pandev Lazio allenamento.JPG|Goran Pandev, football striker
Image:Darko in 2004.jpg|Darko Dimitrov, songwriter, composer and music producer
Image:Goceva-ESC2007-portrait.jpg|Karolina Gočeva, singer and songwriter
Image:Gruevski.jpg|Nikola Gruevski, current prime minister of the Republic of Macedonia
Image:BrankoCrvenkovskiMacedonFlag.JPG|Branko Crvenkovski, current president of the Republic of Macedonia
Image:Archbishop Stephen.jpg|Archbishop Stephen, current Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, metropolitan of Skopje, primate and spiritual leader of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.
Image:Mihajlo Apostolski.jpg|Mihajlo Apostolski, commander of the Macedonian National Liberation Army.
Further Information
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