May 23: Aromanian National Day
Prayer Idea
Pray for the Aromanian people.
History Note
The Aromanians are an ethnic group in southeastern Europe. A majority live in Greece, with others living in Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Romania, and Serbia.
The Aromanians are thought to be descended from Roman colonists and soldiers who settled in the region in ancient times and intermarried with the local population. A majority of Aromanians are Christians, mostly Eastern Orthodox. Many have traditionally been shepherds who engaged in transhumance, the practice of moving herds to lowlands in winter and to highlands in summer.
The Aromanian language is a Romance language, meaning it is connected to the Latin language spoken by the ancient Romans. The Aromanians are largely isolated from other speakers of Romance languages. The use of the Aromanian language has been declining.
In 1991 a group of Aromanians decided to observe May 23 as Aromanian National Day. The date is connected to an event in 1905 in which the Ottoman Sultan recognized Aromanians as a distinct ethnic group.
This 2019 photo shows a man in an Aromanian village in Greece using donkeys to transport goods. Photo by fritz16 / Shutterstock.com.
Learn More
Yanaki Manaki (1878-1954) and Milton Manaki (1882-1964) were brothers born to an Aromanian family in the Ottoman Empire in what is now Greece. In the early 1900s, they began producing the first known films in the Balkan region. This silent footage shows an Aromanian celebration in the Pindus Mountains.
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