Macedonian in Greece

Introduction / History

Macedonians are a southern Slavic people and speak the Macedonian language, which is a part of the South Slavic group of languages. The modern Macedonians developed as a result of the mixing of the Slavs that came to the Balkans in the 6th century AD, with local peoples that were living in North Macedonia before they came. By absorbing the peoples living in North Macedonia, the Slavs also absorbed their culture, and in that amalgamation a people was gradually formed with predominantly Slavic ethnic elements, speaking a Slavic language and with a Slavic-Byzantine culture.In 581 AD, on the territory of Macedonia, the Slavs created their own country-like formation called the Macedonian Sclavinia, which waged several wars against the Byzantine Empire. In 686 AD, the last Macedonian Sclavinia was occupied by the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarians. In the mid-8th century, the Macedonian Slavs under Byzantine rule were baptized and accepted Christianity, and the Macedonians under Bulgarian rule became Christians in the 9th century.The Macedonians have a great role in the creation of Slavic writing. The local dialect of the Macedonian Slavs spoken north of Thessaloniki became the basis for Old Church Slavonic, the first literary Slavic language. Throughout the medieval period, Macedonia was a constant object of conquest, shifting from Byzantine control to Bulgaria and then to Serbia. This ended in 14th century when Macedonia, together with the whole Balkan region, was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.Because the Macedonians did not have their own statehood during the medieval period, they did not have a developed national identity. They only referred to themselves as Macedonian Christians, and this was how they identified themselves. But after the creation of the Greek, Bulgarian, and Serbian states, which gained independence from Turkey, the three young countries started opening Greek, Bulgarian, and Serbian churches and propagandist schools, in order to assimilate the Macedonian population through education. From 1878 to 1912, Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia, through their educational and church institutions, struggled for the hearts and minds of the Macedonians. The rival propagandas succeeded in dividing the Macedonians into three distinct parties, the pro-Bulgarian (which was the largest), the pro-Greek, and the pro-Serbian ones, at the expense of the development of a unique Macedonian identity.In the period between 1903 and 1908 the three Balkan countries started arming the three different parties and stimulating them to fight one another. This period of the history of Macedonia is called the Macedonian Struggle and is manifested with brother killing his own brother for being a partisan of the different nationalist propaganda. This period lasted till 1912, when Macedonia was divided between Greece, Bulgaria, and Serbia.In those dark days the National Awakening of the Macedonians took place. In the late 19th and early 20th century, several Macedonian intellectuals living abroad propagated the idea of the unique character of the Macedonians, that is, that the Slavic-speakers of Macedonia compose a separate ethnicity which is different from Serbian, Bulgarian, and Greek.Following the Balkan Wars, which led to the division of Macedonia among the Kingdom of Greece, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, and the Kingdom of Serbia, and after WWI, the idea of a separate Macedonian nation gained further traction among the Macedonians. The suffering during the wars, the endless struggle of the Balkan monarchies for dominance over the population, made the Macedonians more and more aware that the creation of an independent Macedonian state and the development of a Macedonian nation would put an end to their suffering.The first revolutionary organization to promote the existence of a separate ethnic Macedonian nation was IMRO (United), established in 1925 and composed of Macedonians with leftist ideology. This idea was internationalized and backed by the Comintern, which issued a declaration in 1934 supporting the further development of the Macedonian nation. This action was backed by the Bulgarian, Greek, and Yugoslav communist parties, and they started supporting the national consolidation of the Macedonian people and created Macedonian sections within the parties, headed by a prominent IMRO (United) member.In World War II, Macedonia was occupied by Italian, German, and Bulgarian troops. In mid-1941, the first Macedonian partisan units were created and organized attacks on targets in the cities of Kumanovo and Prilep. The first greater partisan battalion was formed in 1943, and the same year the armed struggle against the fascist occupation was conducted in every part of Macedonia. On August 2, 1944, the ASNOM (Anti-Fascist Assembly of the National Liberation of Macedonia) was held, where the decisions were made for the establishment of the Macedonian State, as a federal unit within the framework of the Yugoslav federation, and the officialization of the Macedonian language. During the period September – November 1944, the Macedonian Partisan Army took the final offensives, which resulted in the liberation of the whole of the territory of Vardar Macedonia.After being a federal republic for nearly 50 years in Yugoslavia, on 8 September 1991, Macedonia proclaimed its independence. From 1991 to today, North Macedonia has been walking the road towards integration in the Euro-Atlantic structures.The majority of the Macedonians live in North Macedonia, but there are substantial Macedonian minorities in the neighboring countries, such as Greece.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Greek government claims there is no Macedonian minority, despite the existence of a distinct language and culture. They call Macedonian an “idiom” when it has a different root. Macedonians enjoy their own cinema, music, folk dances, and stage shows.It’s not fair to say Macedonians are marginalized in Greece. There have even been Greek presidents who are ethnically Macedonian.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The vast majority of the Macedonians are Eastern Orthodox Christians, but there are also some Muslim Macedonians, and some Macedonians who practice Catholicism and Protestantism.

What Are Their Needs?

Macedonians need to put their identity in Jesus Christ rather than their ethnicity. Their churches need the Holy Spirit to revive them, purify them, and bring about holiness.

Prayer Points

Pray for hundreds of Macedonians to be raised up with a defiant faith in Christ, one that will not be shaken, no matter what comes their way.Pray for God to bring about his purpose for the Macedonians.Pray for Christians to have love, joy, peace, and patience as they tell others about the King of kings.Pray for a mighty Holy Spirit revival to permeate their families and churches, drawing them into greater love for God and for their neighbors.

Text Source:   Joshua Project