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Who are Macedonians?
Who lives in Macedonia?
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Who are the ethnic Macedonians? Ethnic Macedonians are a Slavic people. They replaced and mixed with the original Macedonians in the late 6th and early 7th centuries AD.Macedonians abroad: Historical Macedonia was larger until the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest, which gave pieces of Macedonia to all of the neighboring countries.  • Bulgaria - Many live here-forbidden to claim their ethnicity or language on any census.Greece - Many still live in northern Greece, mostly in the Greek Macedonian provices. Many were forced to take Greek names; more were forced to leave after WWII, and it was illegal to speak Macedonian.Serbia and Montenegro and Albania - Some ethnic Macedonians lived here either before 1913, or they moved to get jobs. Few have moved to Albania.Better jobs - More often in the past, Macedonians worked abroad for only a few years, but now, most who work abroad only return on vacation or after retirement, if at all.Australia - especially Sydney and MelbourneCanada - especially Toronto and SaskatchewanUSA - especially Chicago and OhioMany western European countries especially Germany, Sweden and England
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What languages are spoken in Macedonia?Most citizens of Macedonian speak Macedonian. Ethnic Albanians speak Albanian and Gypsies speak Romani.Macedonian is a Slavic language, therefore it is fairly easy for someone who has learned Macedonian to learn other Slavic languages, and many Macedonians are polylingual.Macedonian uses a Cyrillic alphabet. (Macedonian Cyrillic + Comparison of Cyrillic Alphabets + history: 855 A.D.)Within Macedonian there are several dialects. The most well known are:Skopski (uses more Serbian words)Bitolski (considered traditional Macedonian, but often considered uncultured)Strumički (uses more Bulgarian words and is the most different from standard Macedonian)Bulgarians consider Macedonian a Bulgarian dialect, but the modern Macedonian alphabet was made like Serbian. Many words are shared, but even these are often spelled, and/or pronounced differently. There are also grammatical differences.Most older ethnic Macedonians living in northern Greece still speak Macedonian. Many of the younger people speak both languages or only Greek.
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What religions do Macedonians practice?Most ethnic Macedonians claim to be Macedonian Orthodox.Some Macedonians claim atheism, but many more are practicing atheists, claiming Christianity, but Christ does not influence who they are.Most Albanians and some ethnic Macedonians are Muslim.Most Roma are Muslim, but some are Jehovah's Witness or Protestant.During Socialist times, there was pressure on the people to be atheists, but it was usually covert enough that few other than those directly persecuted consciously noticed, or remember.Anecdote about the persecution
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What are the important holidays?
On the Orthodox calendar many religious holidays are 13 days later than the West.Birthdays are special for children. The birthday-person will host their own party.Adults generally celebrate their saint-day or name-day. Adult Protestants generally celebrate birthdays instead of name-days.
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What do Macedonians eat?Macedonians generally eat large amounts of bread and peppers (mild & hot). Some Greek foods are popular. The desserts are mostly Turkish-very sweet and rich. Macedonians are proud of their alcoholic beverages. Their wines are typically sweet, and they also have rakija, a colorless hard liquor also made from grapes.Hors d'oeuvres/quick foodsAjvar - pepper paste often spread on breadBurek - flaky pastry stuffed with meat, cheese, or spinach (mostly for breakfast)Kačamak - boiled corn meal served with either yogurt or feta cheesePogački - rolls with small chunks of porkŠopska salata - cucumber & tomato salad, covered in feta cheese & oilMeals:Tavče gravče - baked beans served in a hot ceramic bowl (sometimes with sausage)Skara - grilled meatKebapčinja - small spicy pork, beef, or lamb sausagesPleškavica - burger patty of minced pork, beef, or lambRadeničinja - shish kebabPečeno jagne - grilled lambMusaka - ground meat cooked in either chopped eggplant or potatoesSelsko meso - stewed meat and peppersPilav - rice cooked with spices and small bits of meatPodvarok - finely shredded pickled cabbage roasted with slices of meatOhridska pastrmka - Ohrid trout (cooked various ways)Sarma - boiled meat and rice wrapped in either pickled grape or cabbage leavesPolneti piperki - peppers stuffed with meat, rice & spicesTurlitava - mixed cooked vegetablesDesserts:Baklava - flaky dessert pastryTulumbi - very, sweet, doughy dessertAlva - sweet, soft dessert made into cookiesRecipes Updated: 20-Nov-02
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