ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΚΟ ΜΕΡΟΛΟΓΙΟΝ ΕΤΟΣ 1908

The Macedonian Society “Alexander the Great”, a cultural organization, published this Macedonian Calendar in 1908. The calendar is full of declarations of Greek ethnic identity, expressions of Macedonian cultural traits and calls to action against the Bulgarians and their sympathizers.

In the introduction, the editor says that “nobody questioned the greekness of Macedonia from the time of Philip and Alexander, until the last few years”; then, proceeds with the following report from 1907.

Last year, an unlettered Macedonian villager, demonstrated in front of a foreign diplomat the eternal Greek Macedonian* consciousness when he responded to him, questioned about the ethnicity he belongs to:
- Dig the earth and you’ll discover ancient findings. If they’re not greek, then I’m not a Greek.

It is evident that the cultural organization**, the editor and the villager, identified as Greeks (ethnically) and Macedonians (culturally).

At the time, Gotse Delchev, the national hero of modern-day Slavic people claiming an alleged “ethnic Macedonian” identity, talked about unification with his tatkovina, his fatherland.

That was Bulgaria.

* the compound “grecomacedonian” is used in the original, which makes the use of the term Macedonian even stronger, in the cultural sense (See also the “Identity of Macedonia“)

** many members did not even live in the region of Macedonia at the time, but felt that they should defend their Macedonian cultural heritage (See also 1836 – Letters of Baron K. Mpelios about Macedonia)

A six-page sample:

By Jenny