"Armanite (shepherds-nomads) in Bulgaria"

[Papastratosels26]

Who are the Aroumanians?
They are indeed one of the most ancient Balkan races, an ethnie whose representatives best known as Vlachs, Tsintsars or Koutsovlachs, are still living in scattered pockets in Bulgaria. Among the different peoples and communities on the Balkans as well as our neighbours in Bulgaria Aroumanians are in many ways one of the least known. It is very likely the reason could be the name Vlachs as they are called by most of the neighbouring settled Balkan peoples - a name that caused a lot of confusions and misunderstanding for ages. The name Vlach which is a shortened form of Wallach occurs in many languages and is perhaps in origin connected with the name Welsh, bearing the connotations of a 'stranger', 'migrant' or 'alien'. The name Vlach on the Balkans for ages meant merely a "shepherd" and this has resulted in confusion between Vlachs and other nomadic or wandering shepherds as the Saracatsans or Yiiriik, etc. This name bears some derogatory connotations related to the idea of neighbours that Vlachs could be anything else but nomadic shepherds, when in fact they have risen to positions of wealth and distinction as citizens, merchants and craftsmen. Aroumanians call themselves Ar'ntanii, meaning 'Romans' which in their own dialect is the same word, similar to the way Greek call themselves 'Romei'.

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There are numerous different and controversial theories and hypotheses about the origins of Aroumanians. Some of them regard Aroumanians as one of the most ancient autochthonic Balkan tribes who had been romanized in the times of Roman rule on the Balkans and after that merged with Roman colonists. Other theories derive the origins of Aroumanians directly from roman colonists (legionaries, veterans, administration). Aroumanians themselves in their own legends, myths and versions derive their origins from ancient Italy and Rome, considering Romans as their ancestors. Other versions claim that the ancestors of Aroumanians have been different Balkan autochthonic tribes - Thracians or Illyrians, who became 'Romanized'(i.e. adopted first of all the language of Romans - Latin) and then ran away to the highlands. Some Aroumanian versions claim ancient Macedonia to have been their motherland and accordingly - Alexander the Great - for their ruler - 'tsar'. Others tell the story about Mount Grammos and Pindus as their native land. A tale is related about the famous Hagi Steryo - a very wealthy and wise man, primer and leader of Aroumanians in XVIII c. and about the glorious town Moschopolis - their "capital" in the highlands. Hagi Steryo refused his beautiful daughter Sana to get married for AH Pasha of Ioannina and that was the reason for the ruin of Moschopolis, driving Aroumanians away from their home, the event that caused mass exoduses and dispersal all over the Balkan peninsula. Accordingly, since 1769 Aroumanians have started their migrations with the flocks, seeking for new pastures and sites, for new homes.

[Papastratosels26]

Aroumanian language both in its vocabulary and structure is clearly descended from Latin and it is closely allied to Roumanian. Indeed in their own versions Aroumanians define their mother tongue as "Romanic", "Roman" or "Italian", but anyway distinguish it from Roumanian. Recently their mother tongue - limba Armaneasca - is the principal marker of their ethnic identity.
Aroumanian ethnie is represented by various groups, distinguished by their specific features of lifestyle, culture and dialect: Pindeni, Farseroti, Moskopoleni, Gramosteani, Moceani, Megleniti, Olymp Vlachs, Macedoneni, etc. Some part of Aroumanians live firmly settled in towns and their employment are craftsmanship and commerce. They are the bearers of a refined "town" or "city" type of culture - some kind of European influence on the Balkans, so this group is called by the neighbours "Tsintsars" - and they also recognize that name. Aroumanians who reached and settled in Bulgaria are most of all Gramosteani and Tsintsars who came from different towns in Macedonia, as well as Moschopolis and some sites in Pindus.
The first waves of Gramosteani and Moschopoleani after the mass exoduses from the ruined Moschopolis reached Bulgaria in the early XIX c. The first Aroumanian colonies emerged in Melnik, Gorna Dzumaja, Dupnica, Tatar Parardzik, Plovdiv, Stanimaka, Pestera, Stara Zagora. Most of them presented by firmly settled inhabitants - citizens of towns. Another wave of refugees from Albania and Macedonia followed about the middle of XIX c. and they settled in Nevrokop, Razlog, Sofia, Samokov.
At the same time some groups of nomadic wandering shepherds - the so-called Gramosteani came from the range Mount Grammos and from different sites and areas in Macedonia. First they set up to the south-west - in Malesevo region and Belasica mountain and then moved on along Strouma and Mesta valleys, so they consequently took advantage and managed to take control and occupy the alpine pastures in the highest areas of the mountains Pirin, Rila and the Western Rhodopes. Some groups of Gramostean shepherds reached the central Balkan range - Stara planina and Sredna gora. They all comprehended highlands as the mastered area of their own, the 'Promised land', their native space.

[Papastratosels26]

In Bulgaria Gramosteani continued practicing their archaic living - wandering pastoralism of a nomadic, semi-nomadic and transhumant type. They continued raising and keeping large flocks of sheep and numerous herds of horses. Among neighbours Gramosteani are commonly known as shepherds, caravan traders, muleteers. Other typical local trades of theirs are connected with saw mills, carrying of timber and working with the horses in the plains at harvest time. This type of economy has been preserved until Aroumanians' emigration to Roumania in the interwar period of XX c.
The so-called Tsintsars in Bulgaria, as well as all over the Balkans, live firmly settled in towns and cities. Their traditional typical trades have been crafts and applied arts, trade and caravan trading, money-lending, inn- and hotel tending.
The pattern of Aroumanians' wandering pastoralism is based on two seasonal migrations of flocks and people. In autumn they turn to the far distant winter grazing lands in the warn plains in the valleys of big rivers or along sea coasts. In spring they return to highland pastures on the tops of mountains. Thus Aroumanians keep on traveling - 'en route' - for almost two full months a year, migrating with their families and property - livestock and the whole household goods.
By religion Aroumanians are Orthodox Christians. They celebrate St. Peter's Day (June 29) as the greatest feast in the calendar, because that is the time when everybody (groups, traders, clans and communities) join and gather together in the highland sites and encampments. Weddings have been also celebrated once a year at the same time - about the celebration of Assumption in August.
Today those Aroumanians who remained in our country and called Bulgaria "their motherland", have been integrated to Bulgarian nation and society. They found their cultural associations in Sofia, Velingrad, Dupnica, Dorkovo and Pestera. Having marked their mastered area with the stele at Bakica, St. Peter and Paul's chapel near Pestera and the celebrations at Vanghelova cheshma, they are still the kind hosts for their fellows and relatives from the other Balkan countries who come to the annual meetings and folk-festivals at Tsigov chark in the Rhodopes.

[Papastratosels26]

Most Aromanians in Bulgaria originate from Gramos Mountains, with some from Macedonia, Pindus Mountains and Moscopole. According to the 2011 official census, there are 3,684 Aromanians in Bulgaria.

[Papastratosels26]

http://www.etar.org/program/kal2007/armani/armanien.htm

[Archduke]

A week ago I met a guy from a village near Vidin. He admitted during our conversation that his parents are "Romance speaking Bulgarians". It was obvious that he sees the term "Vlach" as insulting because when I concluded that hes actually a Vlach, he said "No, I am 100% Bulgarian, my parents just speak Romanian". He said that his parents spoke to him in Bulgarian, while his grandparents entirely in Vlach.

He also confirmed a well known fact for me that modern Romanian is heavily latinicised compared to old Romanian which had almost entirely a Slavic vocabulary. He promised to show me an old Romanian dictionary to show me how many Bulgarian(Slavic) words there were in Romanian.