Ethnic Macedonian women from Kostur (Kosturcanki), Aegean Macedonia performing the ethnic Macedonian folk dance 'Žensko Beranče' - filmed by Radio Television Skopje.
The dance was brought from ethnic Macedonian refugees from the Greek civil war (1946-49) from the villages near Kastoria (Macedonian: Kostur), today Northern Greece.
The dance was brought from ethnic Macedonian refugees from the Greek civil war (1946-49) from the villages near Kastoria (Macedonian: Kostur), today Northern Greece.
That's one way of looking at it. The Slavophones from Kastoria who went to Bulgaria after the tragic Greek-Bulgarian exchange of populations called themselves Bulgarians, and they still do. Other Slavophones have a Greek national conscience. And others now have a Republic of Macedonia national conscience. But those who emigrated or were expelled during the Greek civil war called themselves Slavomacedonians - hence SNOF. No one said 'Aegean' unless they were Greek. Anyway, I suppose you want to destroy all Greek Macedonians and create a pure 'ethnic Macedonian' region in the Greek province of Macedonia. And of course you would never accept that Greeks have a historic right to call themselves Macedonian, that Greece officially calls its northern province Macedonia since at least 1913, or that Greek scientists, thinkers and theologians have been adding Macedonian to their name for over 400 years. In which case you are as misguided as those poor Greeks who do not recognise the cultural individuality of the Republic of Macedonia and its people.
ReplyDeletevery nice comment! thank you for the analysis, but you have one thing wrong! First of all, Greece didn't called the northren province Macedonia until late 80'ties, the airoport MAcedonia in Thessaloniki got that name in 1992. Bulgarian issue we can analyse in a metter that Sofiyafor a long time was a intelectual and scientific centre of the Macedonians. Due to the political situation many of then declared them selves as Bulgarians.
ReplyDeleteAegean Macedonia always had mixed population, and no one claimes it as him belonging. But u should know that even now a days, there are cities and vilages in Greece who are co pletely macedonian. Not only near the border, there are few even just some 10-15 kilometers out side of Thessaloniki.
Greek state politics says that everybody is Greek. But if u go aroung greece u will see that is not true. Political systems of Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Greece, are diferent. We have multiethnic society, Greece have ethnic state.
The current political issue is a about human rights and about nationalized property! Everything else is propaganda inside out countries.
I am telling you this as a ethnologist, as well as a person who visited Greece meny times and know many Greeks.
Check out some of the other posts that i have, i am sure you'll find it interesting!
all the best, Aleksandar
You are obviously not a fanatic and I, too, have often been the Republic and know it quite well. You say Greece called its province Macedonia in 1988, many people in the Repbulic say this - including the prime minister and the foreign minister. They attach a lot of importance on that belief and keep repeating it.
ReplyDeleteBut just for the sake of argument, how would your attitude and theirs change if you had proof that Athens has officially been calling its northern province 'Macedonia' since 1913, and that officially, the Greek authorities considered Greek Macedonia as part of Greece in c.1825?
Secondly, for the Republic, the only people who have the right to be 'Macedonian' are the македонскиот народ, the Macedonian people. It is in the constitution. Then the constitution says that "permanent co-existence with the Macedonian people is provided for Albanians, Turks, Vlachs, Romanies and other nationalities". The others can only be Macedonian citizens, never just Macedonians.
But in Greece, you can be a Vlach, Catholic, Slavophone, Arvanite, Sarakatsan, Koutsovlach, Maniat, Cretan, Muslim, Pomak, etc... but everyone is Greek. Officially, the country is not divided between a Greek народ and other ethnicities. There are also Macedonians, but in Greece this refers to the inhabitants of Macedonia, not to a specific cultural-linguistic group whose roots are in the 6th century. It is like saying there are ethnic Peloponesians or ethnic Athenians. Of course there are human rights issues that can be improved.
In Switzerland all citizens are Swiss, in Belgium everyone is Belgium, there is no ethnically pure Swiss народ or Belgium народ or Swiss language or Belgian language. Officially, there is no ethnic British narod and no ethnic English narod or ethnic French narod. I think when the Republic accepts that many different people have the right to call themselves 'Macedonian', the country will have matured. Until then, your biggest challenge is the Albanian narod but also the Bulgarian syren.
As for 'Kostur' being the Macedonian name of Kastoria... Macedonian? Your ancestors would have smiled at such inventiveness :-)
ps. thanks for the CNN link.
"But in Greece, you can be a Vlach, Catholic, Slavophone, Arvanite, Sarakatsan, Koutsovlach, Maniat, Cretan, Muslim, Pomak, etc... but everyone is Greek."
ReplyDeletewith this you show how ignorant you are!
Everybody is Greek citizen, not Greek!
Muslim is not ethnicity, its a religion! Slavophone mean that some one talks on a language that is from the slavic group of languages!
Greek propaganda has brain washed their citizen that now we have ethnocentrical people full of prejudice!
Thats why Greece has so many anarchy organizations, radical left wing groups and inside terorist organization!
Todays Macedonia and Greece have totalu diametraly diferent political systems and sociaty concepts. Even though no one believed, Macedonia survived as a counrty and is moving strongly.
Greece now is a bankrupped counrty, with many issues, internal problems, and and huge imigration!
realy bites, but that just the way it is! :)
I like all kind of rhythm, i think the dance reflect our welfare . When we dance frequently we can notice a change not only in our mood too but believe it or not in the sexual performance. When some cases when the erectil dysfunction present like a problem, to buy viagra is a great alternative.
ReplyDelete