Aromanians in North Macedonia

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Aromanians
Etymology List of Aromanians
Geographical distribution Albania Bulgaria Greece North Macedonia Romania Serbia diaspora
Major settlements Moscopole Muzachia Metsovo Pindus Kruševo Gramos Grabova Farsala
Culture Cuisine Cultural organizations Folk dance Music Traditional clothing
Language and identity Alphabet Anthem Flag National day Nationalism
Religion Eastern Orthodoxy Aromanian Orthodox Church
History Romanization Great Vlachia Aromanian question Ullah millet Samarina Republic Principality of the Pindus Recommendation 1333 (1997)
Related groups Romanians Moldovans Megleno-Romanians Istro-Romanians
v t e

The Aromanians in North Macedonia (Aromanian: Armãnji; Macedonian: Аромани, romanized: Aromani), also known as the Vlachs (Aromanian: Vlãhi; Macedonian: Власи, romanized: Vlasi), are an officially recognised minority group of North Macedonia numbering some 9,695 people according to the 2002 census. They are concentrated in Kruševo, Štip, Bitola and Skopje.

Ethnonyms

The Aromanians are known as Vlachs in North Macedonia.^[1] To refer to themselves, the Aromanians may use Armčnji, Armānji,^[1] Aromani or Arominu, meaning "Roman".^[2]

The Aromanians are also identified under various names in different languages, often the word for shepherd,^[3] such as Ulah in Turkish, Çoban in Albanian, Tschobani or Vlachoi in Greek, Cincar or Vlasi in Serbian,^[1] and Koustovlahs.^[4][5] They are also known as Macedo-Romanians by the Romanians,^[6][7] or simply Macedonian Vlachs^[8][9] or just Vlachs in English.^[10]

History

The Aromanians are a unique ethno-linguistic group with their own culture and language, who have existed for over two thousand years in the Balkan peninsula.

The Aromanian mountain villages of

After the First Balkan War most of the Romanian schools were closed down. Many of the Aromanian villages were destroyed during World War I. To escape the conflict many Aromanians fled to Greece or Romania. Aromanians who lived in what is now known as North Macedonia were subject to strict Serbianization along with the rest of the population. After the outbreak of World War II most Aromanians once again found themselves subject to Bulgarian control.^[12] Many Aromanians joined the Communist Partisans.

After the war many Aromanians began to assert their ethnic identity. High levels of intermarriage with Macedonians and urbanization also began to affect the community. In the 1970s new initiatives were started to create Aromanian social and cultural societies. The Society of Arts and Culture (Aromanian: Sutsat di Culturi sh Arti) was established in 1979 and in 1981 another cultural society was established. In 1985 the first Aromanian song was recorded by Risto Pulevski-Kicha. A tape was made for Macedonian television and this tape was used to support the request to create a cultural society. The Pitu Guli society of Skopje and the Manaki Brothers Society of Bitola were founded.^{[citation needed]}

After the Declaration of Independence from Yugoslavia, Aromanians were officially recognised as a minority group. They receive full minority rights from the Macedonian government. Currently, the Aromanians have two political parties on North Macedonia, the

The Aromanians are an officially recognised minority group in North Macedonia under the name "Vlachs".^[15] The Aromanian language is taught among Aromanian students and the language is co-official in the Krusevo municipality. Aromanian-language media is available, and regular television and radio broadcasts in the Aromanian language help to ensure its survival. The Aromanian National Day is officially celebrated in North Macedonia on May 23.^[16] The Aromanians are represented in the political life of North Macedonia through two parties.

Culture

The Aromanian National Day is celebrated on May 23.

Language

Aromanians have traditionally spoken the

]

Historical censuses

Vlachs in SR Macedonia and R. of Macedonia according to censuses 1948-2002^[18]

Ethnic group	census 1948		census 1953		census 1961		census 1971		census 1981		census 1991		census 1994		census 2002
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Vlachs	9,511	0.8	8,668	0.7	8,046	0.6	7,190	0.4	6,392	0.3	7,764	0.4	8,601	0.4	9,695	0.5

1900 census

Population of Aromanians in Ottoman Vardar Macedonia, 1900

Region	Population
Veles	500
Kavadarci	122
Gevgelija	9430
Skopje	450
Tetovo	50
Kumanovo	50
Kratovo	340
Kriva Palanka	220
Kočani	2020
Bitola	15690
Kruševo	4095
Resen	3210
Prilep	745
Ohrid	1960
Total	38,882[19]

Notable people

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• Dimitri Atanasescu (1836–1907) - educator
• Constantin Belimace (1848–1932) - Aromanian writer
• Leon Boga (1886–1974) - Aromanian writer, schoolteacher and archivist in Romania
• Kaliopi Bukle
  (1966– ) - pop singer; half Aromanian
• Theodor Capidan (1879–1953) - linguist and academic
• Petre Čašule
  (1882–1924) - revolutionary
• Taki Fiti (1950– ) - Minister of Finance, 1996-1998
• Pitu Guli (1865–1903) - Ilinden revolutionary
• Taki Hrisik (1920–1983) - composer and musician
• Constantin Iotzu (1884–1962) - architect
• Patriarch Joachim III of Constantinople
  (1834–1912) - patriarch, of Aromanian parents
• Niku Karanika (1910–2002) - Aromanian poet
• Hari Kostov (1959– ) - Minister of Internal Affairs, 2002-2004; prime minister of Macedonia, May–November 2004
• Jani Makraduli (1965– ) - politician in the Republic of Macedonia
• Milton Manakis
  (1878–1954) - cinematographic pioneer; with Yannakis Manakis, the first people to film the Balkans
• Yannakis Manakis
  (1882–1964) - cinematographic pioneer; with Milton Manakis, the first people to film the Balkans
• Apostol Margarit
  (1832–1903) - educator
• Miho Mihajlovski (1915-2003) - Macedonian revolutionary
• Ștefan Mihăileanu (1859-1900) - Aromanian nationalist
• Atanasios Piteon (1836–1913) - revolutionary
• Cincar-Janko (1779–1833) - Serbian revolutionary
• Toše Proeski (1981–2007) - pop singer
• Alexandros Svolos (1892–1956) - Greek politician

See also

• Aromanians in Albania
• Aromanians in Bulgaria
• Aromanians in Greece
• Aromanians in Romania
• Aromanians in Serbia

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Evans & Briggs 2019, p. 46.
2. ^ Minahan 2002, p. 175.
3. ^ Minahan 2002, p. 179.
4. ^ Commissioner 2022.
5. ^ Minahan 2013, p. 175.
6. ^ Poulton 1995, p. 17.
7. ^ Bechev 2019, p. 303.
8. ^ Trencsényi et al. 2016, p. 539.
9. ^ Ersoy et al. 2006, p. 4.
10. ^ Koço 2015, p. 70.
11. ^ Parliamentary Assembly Council of Europe. RECOMMENDATION 1333. 1997. [1]. Retrieved on 4 Jul 2008
12. ^ ^{a b c d} NL23_1: Aromanians of Macedonia Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
13. ^ Isidor Iesan: Secta patarena in Balcani si in Dacia traiana,Institutul de arte grafice C. Sfetea, Bucuresti, 1912
14. ^ Nikola Minov: The War of Numbers and its First Victim: The Aromanians in Macedonia (End of 19th – Beginning of 20th century), pages 159-174, in Macedonian Historical Review 3 (2012)
15. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.coe.int. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
16. ^ "Macedonian Information Agency". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
17. ^ 2021 census, municipality by mother tongue
18. ^ "Dabase". Archived from the original on 9 March 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2011. Censuses of Population 1948-2002 State Statistical Office
19. ^ Македония. Етнография и статистика, В. К'нчовъ, София, 1900

Bibliography

• Bechev, D. (2019). Historical Dictionary of North Macedonia. Historical Dictionaries of Europe. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
  ISBN 978-1-5381-1962-4
  .
• Commissioner, United Nations High (30 December 2022). "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". Refworld.
• Ersoy, A.; Trencsényi, B.; Kopeček, M.; Górny, M.; Kechriotis, V. (2006). Late Enlightenment: Emergence of modern national ides. Discourses of Collective Identity in Central and Southeast Europe. Central European University Press.
  ISBN 978-963-7326-52-3
  .
• Evans, T.; Briggs, P. (2019). North Macedonia. Bradt Travel Guide. Macedonia. Bradt Travel Guides.
  ISBN 978-1-78477-084-6
  .
• Koço, E. (2015). A Journey of the Vocal Iso(n). Cambridge Scholars Publisher.
  ISBN 978-1-4438-7578-3
  .
• Minahan, J. (2013). Miniature Empires: A Historical Dictionary of the Newly Independent States. Taylor & Francis.
  ISBN 978-1-135-94010-2
  .
• Minahan, J. (2002). Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups Around the World A-Z [4 Volumes]. ABC-CLIO.
  ISBN 978-0-313-07696-1
  .
• Poulton, H. (1995). Who are the Macedonians?. Hurst.
  ISBN 978-1-85065-238-0
  .
• Trencsényi, B.; Janowski, M.; Baar, M.; Falina, M.; Kopecek, M. (2016). A History of Modern Political Thought in East Central Europe: Volume I: Negotiating Modernity in the 'Long Nineteenth Century'. OUP Oxford.
  ISBN 978-0-19-105695-6
  .

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