Peace Corps in Macedonia: Смрт или Слобода

August 2 marked one of Macedonia’s most important holidays, Ilenden. Ilenden commemorates the independence of the first Macedonian nation. According to Macedonian history (see http://makedonija.name/history/ilinden-uprising#a), a group of rebels organized a number of uprisings against the Ottoman Empire within the territory of Macedonia. The first uprisings took place near Bitola on August 2, 1903, but the most successful uprising occurred in Krushevo on the same day. Once the town of Krushevo was liberated, a democratic government was quickly established with the mountain town serving as the center of what would have been the Republic of Macedonia. Hence, the first republic is remembered as “the Krushevo Republic”.

Krushevo

Unfortunately, Macedonia’s first republic only lasted ten days. Immediately after the initial successes of the uprisings, Turkish reinforcements were deployed, and they quickly gained control of all of the cities that rose against the Empire. The Macedonian rebels retreated to Krushevo, and the Turkish forces surrounded the town. On August 12, the Macedonians fought the Turks head on in a battle near Krushevo, at a place called Mechkin Kamen. The rebels were defeated, and the Turks allegedly pillaged Krushevo in retaliation.

Every year, Macedonia celebrates August 2 sort of as its day of independence (even though the current Republic of Macedonia officially gained independence from Yugoslavia on September 8, 1991). Ilenden, as August 2 is called, is most heavily celebrated in Skopje, Ohrid, and of course, Krushevo. Each year, about 50 Macedonians ride on horseback from Skopje to Krushevo, arriving to the mountain town on August 1. On Ilenden, they lead the march to Mechkin Kamen, which is about an hour’s walk from the Krushevo center, to commemorate the first Macedonian republic and the fallen soldiers who liberated this first nation. Afterwards, another group of riders mount the horses and start their march toward Ohrid.

This past weekend, a few of the volunteers and I had originally planned to go to Bitola for the weekend to hang out at the club and have a “bro’s weekend”. However, when many of the volunteers dropped out, Jake and I were able to convince Husted to instead go to Krushevo to enjoy the Ilenden festivities. Luckily, a thunderstorm hit Pelogonija early in the afternoon on August 1, so by the time we arrived in Krushevo, the rain had stopped, the weather was cooler, and the crowd was much smaller than we had imagined.

When we arrived in Krushevo, we met with Sarah Stone, a MAK-16 who had extended numerous times. She welcomed us warmly and showed us a beautiful kafana near the center where we ordered some dishes that were unique to Krushevo. When we finished our meal, we decided to buy a few bottles of beer and wine and relax near the lake before the concert started. The journey to the lake was a bit dark, but by the time we arrived at our destination, we enjoyed the serenity of that night. However, that peace was quickly interrupted by loud music, shouting, and a few gun shots coming from across the lake. Curious, we decided to investigate this scene.

As we arrived at the other side of the lake, we noticed that there were many horses tied up around the bank. Most of the noise was coming from a house up the hill, so we approached it, inquiring whether these people were the riders who were integral to the Ilenden march. They confirmed that they were, and they invited us to sit with them for some beers so that we can learn more about the Ilenden tradition and the history of this holiday.

It was a real treat to enjoy their company for about an hour. Most of the riders did not speak any English, but after some repeating we were able to pick up on a bit of the history regarding this tradition. According to the riders, many of them came from all over Macedonia, and they really took pride in being part of the march. Skopje had been hit with a large storm only a day after they left for Krushevo, so I asked them if it was very difficult marching through such a squall. They said that it was tough, but no obstacle could negatively impact the pride they felt for representing Macedonia in such a way. Eventually, a few of the riders brought out a rifle that was a replica of the gun used during the revolutionary times (according to the riders, it is very similar to the gun used by Mrs. Stone, an American who was kidnapped by Macedonian rebels back in the day and who, due to Stockholm’s syndrome, eventually joined the rebels in their crusade).

The riders! This lady is the only female on the march this year. Her father, bearded and to the right, is named Dule and lives in Sveti Nikola.

Ms. Stone and her fellow Americans

I also learned two very emblematic displays of Macedonian nationalism while discussing with the riders. First, they taught me the phrase “Смрт или Слобода”, pronounced “Smrt ili Sloboda,” and meaning “Death or Freedom”. The phrase represented the frame of mind of many of the Macedonian rebels in their uprising against the Turks. Many Macedonians chose to die rather than giving up their newly founded republic. The second display of nationalism seemed a bit like a gang sign to me. When Macedonians make the “OK sign” (index finger making a circle with the thumb, and the three other fingers raised high) and keep their hand close to their heart, it is supposed to symbolize the true Macedonian republic. The circle represents the current Macedonian republc, while the pinky finger represents the Macedonian land currently part of Albania, the ring finger is the land currently part of Bulgaria, and the middle finger is the land in Greece, the largest and most significant part of the Macedonian territory lost to the Greek republic after the Balkan Wars.

Sarah, Jake, Husted, and I eventually left the riders to spend some time at the concert. There was hardly a crowd at this event, and the music was not very interesting, so we decided to walk around the Makedonium, a popcorn-shaped memorial dedicated to the uprising. At midnight, fireworks were launched, and we made our way to the city center to enjoy another meal at a kafana. Unfortunately, Jake and I slept in the next day, so we were unable to walk with the crowds to Mechken Kamen for the continuation of the Ilenden celebrations, but I felt lucky enough to personally meet the riders and learn about Macedonian history from them. By 4PM, the festivities were over, the riders made their way to Ohrid, and we all decided to take a kombi back to Prilep.