 Area with Aromanian population and dialects | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 39,855 (1951 census); unofficial estimates count up to 300,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Attica,Epirus,Thessaly,Western Macedonia,Central Macedonia | |
| Languages | |
| Aromanian (native),Greek | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyEastern Orthodoxy | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Aromanians,Vlachs,Romanians,Greeks |
| Part of a series on |
| Aromanians |
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Language and identity |
Related groups |
TheAromanians in Greece (Aromanian:Armãnji tu Gãrtsii;Greek:Βλάχοι/Αρμάνοι στην Ελλάδα) are anAromanian ethno-linguistic group native inEpirus,Aetolia-Acarnania,Thessaly andWestern andCentral Macedonia, inGreece.[2]
In the country, they are commonly known as "Vlachs" (Βλάχοι, Vláchoi) and referred to as "Vlachophone Greeks"[3][4] or "Vlach-speaking Greeks",[5] because most Aromanians in Greece have aGreek identity and identify themselves with the Greek nation and culture.[6][7]
Byzantine historianGeorge Kedrenos identified Aromanians living in what is now Greece in the 11th century.[8] Under theOttoman Empire, the Aromanians were considered part of theRum Millet.[9] In 1902, Romanian politicianAlexandru Lahovary advocated for the recognition of the Aromanians as a distinct millet, which was granted in 1905.[10] The group became more distinct towards the end of the 19th century, with a split occurring between Vlachs who identified more closely withRomania and those who were linked more to Greece.
In the 1990s, theEuropean Commission'sEuromosaic Project documenting minority languages recorded the geographic distribution and language status of Aromanians and Aromanian in Greece.[11]
| Drama | 5 villages; Aromanian is spoken within a limited area in the city ofDrama. |
| Serres | 15 villages; Aromanian is spoken in the city ofSerres. |
| Kilkis | Aromanian is spoken in 2 villages and in the city ofKilkis. |
| Thessaloniki | 3 villages and in the city ofThessaloniki. Aromanians migrated to the city for several centuries and becameHellenised over time. In the early 20th century, Aromanian was spoken in some neighbourhoods of Thessaloniki. Modern Aromanian speakers in Thessaloniki are descendants of recent migrations. |
| Pella | Aromanian is spoken in 4 villages and in the cities ofGiannitsa andEdessa. |
| Kastoria | 5 villages and in the town ofArgos Orestiko and city ofKastoria. |
| Florina | 11–13 villages. |
| Kozani | 4 villages and in the town ofServia and city ofKozani. |
| Grevena | 9 villages and in the city ofGrevena. |
| Pieria | 7–8 villages and in the city ofKaterini. |
| Imathia | Over 7 villages and in the cities ofVeria (widespread use) andAlexandreia. |
| Ioannina | 38 villages, including the village ofMetsovo and in the city ofIoannina. |
| Preveza | 4 villages and in the city ofPreveza. |
| Thesprotia | 7 villages and in the city ofIgoumenitsa and town ofParamithia. |
| Arta | 3 villages and in the city ofArta. |
| Larissa | 26 villages and in the cities ofTyrnavos andLarissa. |
| Trikala | 43 villages in the west of the prefecture, 3 villages in the east, and in a larger area in the town ofKalambaka and city ofTrikala. |
| Karditsa | 1–2 villages and in a limited area in the city ofKarditsa. |
| Magnesia | 6 villages and 2 neighbourhoods in the city ofVolos. |
| Aetolia-Acarnania | 10–11 villages and in the cities ofAgrinio andMissolonghi. |
| Phthiotis | 2–3 villages, and small traces of a presence in the city ofLamia. |
| Boeotia | 1 village. |
| Athens (city) | Spoken in the city. |
The Aromanians of Greece count with thePanhellenic Federation of Cultural Associations of Vlachs, a cultural organization of Aromanians.[12][9] The Aromanian communities, who use the endonym Vlasi, inMacedonia speakMegleno-Romanian, separate from theAromanian language.
In the Ottoman Empire, the Vlachs fell under the religious jurisdiction of theGreek Patriarch by virtue of them being Orthodox Christian; services were conducted in Greek.[13] Conducting services in the Aromanian language became a priority issue for the Vlachs. The Orthodox Patriarch decided that if the Vlachs were to conduct services in their own language, they would be denied their own clerical head. In 1875, the Patriarch ordered the closure of 8 Vlach churches, leading to an escalation in hostilities.[13] TheOttoman Ministry of Justice and Religious Denomination determined in 1891 that the Vlach had a right to worship in their own language; in 1892, the Ministry of Justice warned the Greek Patriarch that if Vlach-language services were not instituted, the Vlachs would likely established their own church. The Vlach were eventually successful in appointing their own bishop.
Because of the Aromanian history of cattle-rearing and history of discrimination in urban areas, the Aromanian population is largely scattered throughout Greece.[9]
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Vlachs, or Vlachophone Greeks, are traditionally mountain pastoralists.
The Vlachs or Macedo-Romanians, also called Aromanians or Vlachophone Greeks by others [...]
In August 2003 theGreek Federation of Cultural Associations of Vlachs objected to the direct or indirect characterization of the Vlach-speaking Greeks as an ethnic, linguistic or other type of minority, a position expressed in a subsequent report issued by the American organization Freedom House. The Federation asserted that Vlach-speaking Greeks never asked to be recognized as a minority by the Greek state as both historically and culturally they were, and still are an integral part of Hellenism.
I am reminding the reader of the Aromanian origins of famous musicians like Kaldaras, Bakalis, Virvos, Mitropanos, Tsitsanis, Mousafiris.
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