Bozur
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Post by Bozur on Oct 5, 2008 5:20:56 GMT -5
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Bozur
Amicus
Posts: 5,515
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Post by Bozur on Oct 5, 2008 5:35:58 GMT -5
Encyclopedia > Tsintsars (Aromanians) www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Tsintsars
Total population: 350,000 est Significant populations in: Gr / Al / Ro / RM Language: Aromanian and local languages Religion: Eastern Orthodoxy, others Related ethnic groups: >Indo-Europeans > Latin peoples > Vlachs
Aromanians (also called: Arumanians or Macedo-Romanians; in Aromanian they call themselves arumâni, armâni, or aromâni) are a people living throughout the southern Balkans, especially in northern Greece, Albania, and the Republic of Macedonia, and as an emigrant community in Romania (Dobruja). They are the second most populous group of Vlachs, behind modern-day Romanians (though today, Vlach only refers to Latin-speakers south of the Danube).
They speak the Aromanian language, a Romance language closely related to Romanian. Due to the common language foundations, historians believe that the language link with Romanian was interrupted between the 7th and 9th century, after the most important features of the language were formed.
Contents
* 1 Name * 2 Aromanians in Greece * 3 Aromanians in Albania * 4 Aromanians in the Republic of Macedonia * 5 Aromanians in Romania * 6 See also * 7 Further reading * 8 External links
Name
Aromanian shepherd in traditional clothes, photo from the early 1900s.
The name Aromanian, just as Romanian, derives directly from Latin Romanus ("Roman") through regular sound changes. Adding "a" in front of certain words that begin with a consonant is a feature of the Aromanian language. The Greco-Aromanian cultural, self-descriptive name Arnanji derives from "Romanus cives", which possibly originates from the Edictum Antoninianum. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ...
Vlachs was a term used in the Medieval Balkans, as an exonym for all the Romanic people of the region, but nowadays, it is commonly used only for the Aromanians and Meglenites, the Romanians being named Vlachs only in historical context. See also: Etymology of Vlach.
Another name used to refer to the Aromanians (mainly in the Slavic countries such as Serbia and Bulgaria) is "tsintsar", which is derived from the way the Aromanians say the word 'five': "tsintsi". To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Aromanians in Greece
In Greece, they are not regarded as an ethnic minority, since they do not proclaim a non-Hellenic national identity, instead being considered Latin-speaking Greeks. Their origins are disputed. The Romanian hypothesis contends that Aromanians came to northern Greece from the Danube region; the opposing Greco-Aromanian theory is that they descend from the Romanised, local Greek population. Other theories on the possible origins of Greco-Aromanians describe them as:
* The descendants of Roman colonisers and soldiers, who would receive agricultural lands as payments for their services, * A branch of Daco-Romanian, * Descendants of ancient Thracians or Illyrians, * Latinised Greeks as mercenary soldiers of the Roman legions.
Despite the Romanian connection, most Aromanians in Greece today identify as Greeks and heirs to the Byzantine tradition. It is interesting to note that Greek-speakers have also called themselves Romans (Ρωμιοί Romii) well into modern times in reference to the Greek-speaking East Roman or Byzantine Empire, which called itself Romania several centuries before the modern Balkan nation-state of the same name was conceived. It is in this context that Aromanians played an important role in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire and generally in Greek society. Prominent Aromanians in Greece have included Ioannis Kolettis, one of the first prime ministers, Evangelos Averof, minister of Defence during the Balkan Wars and Konstantinos Krystallis, the famous poet.
Ioannis Kolettis (1773-1847) - Athens, National Historical Museum Ioannis Kolettis (1773-1847) was a Greek politician who played a significant role in Greek affairs from the Greek War of Independence.
Aromanians from Serres, Greece.
The pressure on Aromanians to assimilate can be traced back to the 18th century, when assimilation efforts were encouraged by the Greek missionary Kosmas Aitolos (1714-1779) who taught that Aromanians should speak Greek because as he said "it's the language of our Church" and established over 100 Greek schools in northern and western Greece.
In 1941, after the Nazi occupation of Greece, some Aromanian nationalists created an autonomous Vlach state under fascist Italian control: the Principality of Pindus. However, this fascist puppet state did not survive the Second World War.
The Aromanians, mostly herdsmen living in high mountain areas (especially in the Pindus area) in northern Greece never had a complete education in their language. Although Romania subsidised schools until 1948, the communist regime ended all links, and there is currently almost no education for Aromanian children in their mother tongue.
The European Parliamentary Assembly examined a report on the Aromanians in 1997, and adopted a recommendation that the Greek government should do whatever is necessary to respect their culture and facilitate education in Aromanian and its use in schools, churches and the media. However, efforts to promote the Aromanian language in Greece have often been controversial amongst the Aromanians themselves, many of whom vehemently reject any idea of an officially-sanctioned distinction between them and other Greeks, often due to fear of discrimination by mainstream Greek society. On the other hand, there is a small but vocal minority within the community which strongly supports such efforts. On a visit to Metsovo, Epirus in 1998, Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos called on Aromanians to speak and teach their language, but little has been done in practical terms since then.
Aromanians in Albania
The second largest Aromanian community lives in Albania, counting between 100,000 and 200,000 people. There are currently timid attempts to establish education in their native language in the town of Divjaka. The Aromanians, under the name "Vlachs", are a recognised national minority in the Albanian constitution. For the last years there seems to be a renewal of the former policies of supporting and sponsoring of Romanian schools on the behalf of the Vlachs of Albania. As a recent article in the Romanian media points out, the kindergarten, primary and secondary schools in the Albanian town of Divjaka where the local Vlach pupils are taught classes both in Aromanian and Romanian were granted substantial help directly from the Romanian government.
Aromanians in the Republic of Macedonia
According to official government figures, there are 8,467 Aromanians in the Republic of Macedonia, even though other sources estimate their numbers as high as 20,000. The Aromanians are recognised as an ethnic minority, and are hence represented in parliament and enjoy ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious rights and the right to education in their language.
They have also received financial support from the Romanian government, which made recognition of the Republic of Macedonia's independence conditional on the extension of minority rights to the Aromanians.
Aromanians in Romania
Since the Middle Ages, due to the Turkish occupation and the destruction of their cities, such as Moscopole, many Aromanians fled their homeland in the Balkans to settle the Romanian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, which had a similar language and a certain degree of autonomy from the Turks. These immigrant Aromanians were assimilated into the Romanian population.
In 1860, the Romanian government opened almost 100 schools in Greece and the Ottoman territories of Macedonia and Albania in an attempt to inculcate a sense of modern Romanian national identity in a population which historically identified with the Byzantine tradition.
In 1925, 47 years after Dobruja was incorporated into Romania, King Carol II of Romania gave the Aromanians land to settle in this region, which resulted in a significant migration of Aromanians into Romania.
There are currently between 25,000 and 50,000 Aromanians in Romania, most of which are concentrated in Dobruja. Due to their cultural closeness to ethnic Romanians, most of them do not consider themselves to be a distinct ethnic minority but rather a "cultural minority". Recently, there has been a growing movement in Romania, both by Aromanians and by Romanian lawmakers, to recognise the Aromanians either as a separate cultural group or as a separate ethnic group, and extend to them the rights of other minorities in Romania, such as mother-tongue education and representatives in parliament.
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Bozur
Amicus
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Post by Bozur on Oct 5, 2008 5:37:12 GMT -5
History of Aromanians
This article is about the history of Aromanians. For the history of Northern Vlachs (Romanians), see History of Romania.
Aromanians in Balkans
Contents * 1 Origins * 2 Byzantine period * 3 Ottoman period * 4 World War II * 5 Modern history * 6 See also * 7 References
Origins
Vlachs were the Romanized people of south-eastern Europe. The Vlach people are generally considered to have formed north of the Jirecek Line, probably from a mix of Roman colonists (from various Roman provinces) and indigenous peoples who were Romanized.
Jirecek Line
Their more exact place of origin is hard to determine as they can be found all over the Balkan peninsula. Aromanians can be found in Greece, Bulgaria, Albania and the Republic of Macedonia, while Romanians in Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia and Hungary. However, most historians agree that their original land was somewhere north of the Jirecek Line.
Their occupations were mostly trading, shepherding and craftsmanship, but judging from the variety of ancient vocabulary related to agriculture we can assume that in the Roman period they were mostly farmers. It is not known exactly when the Vlachs who were the ancestors of present day Aromanians broke off from the general body of Vlach people; historians point to a period between the 5th--9th Centuries.
Byzantine period
In 579 AD, two Byzantine chroniclers, Theophanis and Theophylactus, provided accounts of the language of the Armani (Vlachs) [citation needed]. The Slavic-derived exonym Vlachoi ("Vlachs") became a substitute for the term Armani when it was first used in 976 AD in a chronicle by a Greek author named Kedrinos. The Byzantine writer Cecaumenos, in his Strategicon of 1066 AD wrote that the Vlachs of Epirus and Thessaly came from north of the Danube and from along the Sava. Moreover, the author states that they were the descendants of the Bessi.
Ottoman period
In the 18th century, as many of the Vlachs became involved in the trade between the Occident and Orient, their main city, Moscopole, ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscopole ) became one of the most important and prosperous cities of the Balkans, until it was sacked and pillaged by the Ottomans in 1788.
World War II
After the Italian occupation of Greece the Aromanians created an autonomous state in Northern-Greece. The leaders of the Principality of Pindos were Alkiviadis Diamandi di Samarina (Prince Alchibiades I, 1941-1943) and Baron Gyula Milványi-Csesznegi (Prince Regent Julius I, 1943-1944). The principality was definitively annected by Greece in 1947.
Modern history
Today, the official position of the Greek government is that the Vlachs are only Greeks speaking a Latin dialect. Some assert that the reason for this official position is because the Greek government does not want to declare the Vlachs as a national minority. However, the Vlachs themselves do not wish to become a national minority in Greece. The willingness of the Vlachs in Greece to maintain their ties with their fellow Greeks has led to the dwindling usage of their distinct dialect. Though their traditions are not infringed upon by the Greek state, the Vlachs are only encouraged to return to speaking the language of their ancestors (i.e. Greeks).
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Bozur
Amicus
Posts: 5,515
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Post by Bozur on Oct 5, 2008 5:37:48 GMT -5
List of prominent Aromanians
This is a list in progress of world famous or important Aromanians and people having Aromanian ancestry. Aromanian shepherd in traditional clothes, photo from the early 1900s. ...
Contents
* 1 Art * 2 Actors * 3 Clergy * 4 Commerce and business * 5 Music * 6 Politicians * 7 Science * 8 Sports * 9 Writers oo 9.1 Poets oo 9.2 Philologists oo 9.3 Historians * 10 References
Art
* Camil Ressu, Romanian painter * Manaki Brothers (Yanaki and Milton), film and photography pioneers in the Balkans, from present day Macedonia. * Alexandru Arsinel, well known Romanian actor and comediant * Sultana Maitec, Romanian sculptor * Stere Gulea, Romanian film maker and Governmenet official * Cristian Hadji-Culea, Romanian theatre director and former President of the State Television TVR
Actors
* Costache Caragiale, Romanian actor, playwright * Toma Caragiu, Romanian actor; * Ion Caramitru, Romanian actor, former minister of culture; * Tasko Nacic, Serbian actor; * Alexandru Arsinel, well known Romanian actor and comediant * Stere Gulea, Romanian film maker and Governmenet official * Cristian Hadji-Culea, Romanian theatre director and former President of the State Television TVR
Clergy
* Irinej Bulovic, Bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Bachka; * Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople, www.farsarotul.org/nl2_2.htm * Ioachim Martineanu, Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan, described martyrized Moscopole; * Andrei Saguna, Romanian patriot, bishop, baron of Saguna, then Metropolitan - Romanian Orthodox Church of Transylvania; * Mother Teresa;
Commerce and business
* Darvari family, famous philanthropists and Austrian Imperial bankers; * Dumba family, famous philanthropists and Austrian Imperial bankers; * Hagi Meitani, Austrian Imperial baron, Wallachian stateman; * Mocioni family, famous philanthropists and Austrian Imperial bankers; * Marcu Puiu, Austrian philanthropist and nobleman in the 18th century; * Simon Sina (1782-1856), Austrian financial magnate; * Sina family, famous philanthropists and Imperial bankers, also members of the Hungarian nobility; * Hagi Moscu, Austrian Imperial baron, Wallachian stateman;
Music
* Apostolos Kaldaras, Greek composer; * Herbert von Karajan, conductor * Tose Proeski, Popular singer, Macedonian representative at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 * Kaliopi Bukle, Popular singer in Republic of Macedonia
Politicians
* Apostol Margarit, leader of the pro-Romanian faction of the Vlachs of Greece, inspector of the Romanian schools and member of the Romanian Academy in Bucharest * Evangelos Averoff, former Greek minister and former leader of the New Democracy party; * Bellu family, emigrating from martyrized Moscopole, offered several Wallachian statemen and one Romanian Prime Minister (conservative); * George Becali, Romanian politician * Ioan Gheorghe Caragea, Wallachian Voivode (1812-1818); * Nicolae Caragea, Wallachian Voivode (1782-1783); * Ghica family, Wallachian and Moldavian voivodes and Romanian Prime Ministers; * Octavian Goga, famous Romanian author, poet and former Prime Minister of Romania; * Stefan Octavian Iosif, famous Romanian author; * Ioannis Kolettis General, obtained Greek Independence from the Ottoman Empire,Greek Prime Minister -; * Neofitos Doukas, Greek politician; * Lazar Pacu, economist and politician in Kingdoms of Serbia and Yugoslavia; * George Padioti[1], famous Vlach minority rights activist in Greece; * Rigas Velestinlis-Fereos, Greek poet and revolutionaire; * Aleksandar Cincar-Markovic, Serbian minister of foreign affairs 1939-1941; * Kosta Kumanudi, Serbian minister of finances 1921-1922; * Hari Kostov, Macedonian Prime Minister June 2004 - November 2004, Minister of Internal Affairs 2002 - 2004 * Pitu Guli, Revolutionary, died defending the first Macedonian republic of Krushevo 1903, mentioned in the Republic of Macedonia hymn * Vangel Dinu, President of the first Macedonian government formed during the Krushevo Republic in 1903 * Taki Fiti, Macedonian Minister of Finance, 1996-1998, Professor at the Faculty of Economics, Skopje * Eftimie Murgu, Transylvanian Romanian leader of the 1848 revolution * Betty Tamposi, Vlach-American politican and community activist. Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, current trustee of the University of New Hampshire. * Christos Folias, Greek businessman, former New Democracy MEP and current vice-minister of Econony. * Alkiviadis Diamandi di Samarina, Vlach politician of Greece, born in Samarina, Consul of the Kingdom of Romania in Koritza, Albania between the two world wars and later leader of the autonomous Vlach statelet Principality of Pindus * Count Gyula Milványi-Csesznegi, Hungarian born politician, Prince Regent of the Principality of Pindus. His grand-father was an Aromanian merchant. * Anca Danilela Boagiu Romanian Minister for European Integration
Science
* Ion Juvara, famous Romanian surgeon, professor and head of University Department; * Dinischiotu family, several famous Romanian physicians and professors; * Târpa family, several famous Romanian physicians; * Jovan Karamata, Serbian mathematician (1902-1967) * Elie Carafoli, Romanian educated, born in Greece, aerodynamics inovatior, university teacher. * Dr.Hagi Constantin Baiasa (Vouvosa)- born doctor specialized in radiology * Constantinos Karatheodori, Greek mathematician, teacher and collaborator of Albert Einstein
Sports
* Gigi Becali, owner of FC Steaua Bucuresti football club * Ioan Becali, president of FC Dinamo Bucuresti football club and cousin of Gigi * Victor Becali, football impresario and brother of Ioan * Gheorghe Hagi, famous Romanian soccer player; * Joshko Milenkovski, manager of the Macedonian Volleyball Team, Manager of Rabotnicki Fersped, the Macedonian volleyball champion;
Writers
* Cavaliotti family, several famous intellectuals in the 18th century; * Daniil family, several famous intellectuals in the 18th century; * Ion Luca Caragiale, Romanian playwright (born in an Aromanian family originally from Macedonia); * Mateiu Caragiale, Romanian author, son of Ion Luca Caragiale; * Matyla Ghyka, famous Romanian prince, polymath, architect, mathematician and author; * Mitrush Kuteli, Albanian poet * Iosipos Moisiodax, Greek author * Constantin Noica, Romanian philosopher * Branislav Nušic, Serbian novelist and playwright * Pericle Papahagi, outstanding Romanian intellectual; * Anton Pann, Romanian author * Lasgush Poradeci, Albanian poet * Gheorghe Constantin Roja, several famous intellectuals in the 18th century; * Constantin Ucuta, Moscopolitan Orthodox father, Viennese and Prussian intellectual; * Ucuta family, several famous intellectuals in the 18th century;
Poets
* Constantin Belimace, poet, author Dimândarea Parinteasca * Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet and diplomat(his mother was of Aromanian origin); * Constantin Papanace, government minister, member of the Romanian parliament, poet, author born in Veria Mica Antologie Aromâneasca * George Murnu, poet and professor at the University of Bucharest, translator of Iliad and Odyssey born in Veria; * Gellu Naum, Romanian surrealist poet * Pashko Vasa, Albanian poet; * Zahu Pana, poet, author and economist born in Beala near Ohrida later moves to Romania and then to New York
Philologists
* Mihail G. Boiagi, philologist, grammarian, author, first Aromanian grammar and cultural hero; * Theodor Capidan, linguist, wrote studies on Aromanian and Megleno-Romanian languages * Tache Papahagi, linguist, and outstanding Romanian intellectual; * Daniel Moscopolites, Greek philologist, author of famous lexicon; * Matilda Caragiu Marioteanu, linguist, poet and outstanding Romanian intellectual, Toma Caragiu's sister
Historians
* Neagu Djuvara, famous diplomat and historian * A. D. Xenopol, Romanian historian.
References
* A vastly performant, yet incomplete attempt to explain the Byzantine identity via political (Imperial), religious (Christian) and ethnical Romania by The Vlach Connection (in English) * Manaki Brothers, a short biography
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Post by Novi Pazar on Oct 5, 2008 21:30:35 GMT -5
"Mother Teresa"
Seriously, l thought mother Teresa was 100% Albanian.
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Post by meltdown711 on Oct 5, 2008 21:54:36 GMT -5
She is... The FYROM govt is trying hard to change that though, though it has failed numerous times: From her own mouth: “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus. ”And the Ghica family could not possibly have been originally Aromanian since the very name Ghica is derived from Albanian vernacular of John (Gjika). "...The second claimant (for a possible future Albanian State) is a certain Prince Albert Ghica, who comes of a family of Albanian origin, long resident in Roumania. It has given Hospodars (Governors) to the old Wallachian provinces and diplomats to the modern kingdom, and enjoys princely rank in the Austrian Empire. Prince Albert is a comparatively young man with plausible manners and a dubious past, who speaks fluent French, and knows neither one word of the Albanian language nor the elements of Albanian geography. He has been chosen honorary president by one of the numerous clubs of Albanian immigrants in Bucharest, and on the strength of this social honour poses in European hotels as the chief-elect of the Albanian people. He talks of venturing in person into Albania and raising the flag of revolt. We shall see.MACEDONIA: ITS RACES AND THEIR FUTURE by H. Brailsford, London 1906 The guy even wrote a book: www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1421209667/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-8661186-4343101#reader-linkAnd Mitrush Kuteli, his real name being Dhimiter Pashko, never once stated he was of Aromanian origin. I can translate some of his poetry to prove exactly how Albanian he perceived himself.
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Post by Novi Pazar on Oct 7, 2008 3:34:38 GMT -5
^ Its not looking good for vardar, Toski.
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