Macedonians in Slovenia
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Macedonians in Slovenia are
ethnic Macedonians Macedonians ( mk, Македонци, Makedonci) are a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group native to the region of Macedonia in Southeast Europe. They speak Macedonian, a South Slavic language. The large majority of Macedonians identi ...
who reside in
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
. According to the official census of 2002, there are 3,972 declared Macedonians in Slovenia, with 4,760 listing Macedonian as their mother tongue.


Immigration

During the years of the Yugoslav federation, many Macedonians migrated to the Socialist Republic of Slovenia. Most of them came from the east of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and they settled mainly in the town of Kranj and the capital
Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...
. Macedonian communities can be also found in larger towns such as
Jesenice Jesenice (, german: Aßling''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru'', vol. 6: Kranjsko. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 144.) is a Slovenian town and the seat of the Municipality of Jesenice on the ...
,
Nova Gorica A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...
, Maribor and Celje. Around 450 Macedonians reside in the Celje region.


Culture

There are three larger cultural associations in
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
. The biggest ones are KUD Makedonija from
Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...
, KUD Kiril i Metodij from Kranj and Kud Biljana from Maribor.MKD Biljana-http://www.mkd-biljana.si/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=6, They were founded in the 1990s after
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
become an independent republic. Cultural Associations were founded to encourage learning of the Macedonian language, heritage and customs for those living in Slovenia. They mainly gather Macedonians for major holidays like
Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
, Ilinden and
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
. Each association has its own center for gatherings and folklore acts. There is also a Macedonian language school in Kranj which is targeted at younger Macedonians.


Religion

Macedonians in Slovenia are predominantly of Orthodox religion. Due to the lack of priests there is only one
Macedonian Orthodox Church The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archdiocese of Ohrid (MOC-AO; mk, Македонска православна црква – Охридска архиепископија), or simply the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) or the Archdiocese o ...
in
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
, which opens only on some occasions; for weekly mass adhererants of the church use the Serbian Orthodox Church. The first Macedonian church organization was the MCO (Македонски црковен одбор/''Makedonski crkoven odbor''). The first meeting was held on April 13, 1993, where there was talk about establishing a
Macedonian Orthodox Church The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archdiocese of Ohrid (MOC-AO; mk, Македонска православна црква – Охридска архиепископија), or simply the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) or the Archdiocese o ...
in
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
. Good communications have been established between the Macedonian Orthodox Church and
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, which is the predominant denomination in Slovenia. Many Macedonians also use the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Community was leased the church St.Marija Roženveska which is located in centre of Kranj. It is used by Macedonians only on bigger holidays.Naše Sonce-http://www.mkd-kim.si/vesnik/nase%20sonce%20-%20st%201%20-%20december%201997.pdf


Media

There is just one newspaper which is written for Macedonians in Slovenia called ''Naše Sonce'' (Наше Сонце, ''lit. Our Sun''). It is printed by the cultural association of St.Cyril and Methodi whose office is in Kranj. The first edition was printed on December 1, 1997. The newspaper mainly writes about problems and activities of Macedonians living in
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
.


Notable people

* Irena Joveva, Member of the European Parliament * Sašo Filipovski, basketball coach *
Vlado Ilievski Vlado Ilievski ( mk, Владо Илиевски; born 19 January 1980) is a former Macedonian professional basketball. Standing at , he played at the point guard position. Professional career During his career, Ilievski played for KK Nemetali Og ...
, basketball player for Macedonia national team with a Slovenian passport * Emilija Stojmenova Duh, Minister for Digital Transformation


See also

* North Macedonia–Slovenia relations


References


External links


KUD Biljana Maribor KUD Makedonija Lubljana SMMD
{{Portal bar, North Macedonia, Slovenia Macedonian diaspora North Macedonia–Slovenia relations