INTRODUCTION - Part 09

community. Each village community, supported by a factory complex, adopted a group. Some found themselves among the richest communities in the region and were privileged to live in quarters made of marble. Nearby there was a small lake teeming with exotic and colourful fish. Unfortunately, the children were all homesick missing their mothers and had little appreciation for luxury. Slowly, however, routine began to take over as the children attended school and became involved in school and community activities. Besides the regular curriculum, the refugee children were expected to learn to read and write in their native language. Even though Greek officials administered the programs and scoffed at the idea, the Macedonian children were given the choice of learning Macedonian if they wished. I want to mention here that the Macedonian programs were a direct translation (word for word) from the Greek programs. Even though the children were learning in their native Macedonian language, they were learning what the Greeks wanted them to learn. The Macedonian teachers were not allowed to diverge from the established programs. In other words, Hellenization and Greek propaganda continued to influence the Macedonian children even outside the Greek borders. By 1949 casualties were mounting at home and reports were filtering through to the refugee camps where children received bad news about the fate of their parents and relatives. Morale was so low that the children became isolated, withdrawn, and would not sing, talk, cry or even eat. To boost their morale the surrogate mothers, who wore black to mourn the deaths of their husbands, resorted to wearing white and colourful dresses. For the sake of the children, in spite of their own sorrow, mothers had to appear cheerful and put on happy faces. As the Civil War in Greece intensified, the Partisans were running out of recruits at home and began to look at the refugee children abroad as a possible source. Although draftees were recruited from all the camps abroad, most of the fighting force came from Romania. Initially, two new groups were formed and brought back for military training. The recruitment campaign and propaganda was so tempting that the youngsters couldn't resist it and were happy to volunteer. Any child strong enough to carry a rifle, regardless of age, was good enough for the draft. The first two groups recruited were instantly massacred upon engaging the battle hardened Greek Army. They were all under the age of fifteen, had no combat experience, and no idea of what to expect. The third group left Romania and went to Rudary, Prespa, via Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. Upon arriving, the young soldiers were sent to Shterkovo, another village in Prespa, for about a month of military training and preparation for combat. The young men spent part of March and April 1949 performing military exercises, learning to operate weapons, and set explosives. When word came that the first two groups of young fighters were decimated, there was a loud outcry by the community against such atrocities, "We did not save our children so you can slaughter them." The third group was only spared because many mothers demonstrated and voiced their anger against such a barbaric draft. The group was demobilized before reaching the battlefields and many of the children were sent back to the refugee camps. Some were allowed to go home only to end up as refugees again during the mass exodus in the fall of 1949. As the Greek Civil War was coming to a close, Western Aegean Macedonia was bombed to dust. Partisans and civilians alike fled to Albania to save themselves. When the war was over many wanted to return but Greece did not want them back. Anyone who voluntarily fled was not allowed to return, regardless of whether they were guilty of any crimes or not. After spending some time in the camps in Albania, the people of Macedonia, again victims of someone else's war, became permanent war refugees and were sent to various Eastern Block countries.

Before departure, the refugees were separated into two groups. One, made up mostly of Partisan fighters, was sent to the USSR. The other, consisting mostly of civilians and Partisan support staff, was sent to Poland. After the groups were separated they were transported to the port of Durasi, loaded onto cargo ships, and sent westward through Gibraltar to Poland and eastward via the Black Sea to the Soviet Union. The voyages were long and unpleasant. To avoid detection the refugees were literally hidden inside the cargo and at critical times ordered to remain immobile and quiet for long periods of time. When they landed at their destinations, the refugees were stripped and their flea-infested clothes were burned. After being powdered with pesticide and bathed in hot baths, they were then placed in quarantine where they spent about a month and a half resting idly before being relocated to permanent quarters.

After settling down and securing employment in their new countries, many parents who had refugee children began to look for them and with the help of the authorities were able to bring them home. As a result, many children left their host countries to join their parents in Poland, the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, etc. Refugees who had relatives in Canada, the USA, and Australia through sponsorship made attempts to immigrate themselves and look for their children or have their relatives look for their children if immigration was not possible. Initially "the iron curtain" was shut tight and made it difficult to make inquiries, but as the Red Cross became involved it became easier. In 1953, during a Red Cross convention in Switzerland, the question of the Refugee Children from the Greek Civil War came up and the various Red Cross agencies agreed to cooperate and exchange information with each other. After that, anyone requesting help to locate missing persons in Eastern Block Countries was not refused. There are instances where Macedonians did experience problems with the Red Cross but these were due to Greek misinformation. When the Red Cross went looking for refugees in the Greek administered refugee camps they were told that the Macedonians were "migrant workers" and not refugees. Here is an actual account of what happened to one Macedonian woman in Poland. The woman was well liked by her colleagues and in time became a model worker and qualified for a month of paid vacation. When her turn came, she was sent to a luxurious mountain resort. She was alone and felt uncomfortable going places but did agree to go and see the nativity in a local church. There she met two women who suspected that she was not Polish and were curious about how she had gotten there. After some discussion, it turned out the women were Red Cross workers and interested in finding people like her. When the women found out that she was a refugee interested in returning home, and that many others were in a similar situation, they urged her to seek help. She was given an address in Warsaw where she could meet with Red Cross officials and tell them her story. Upon returning from her vacation she and a friend went to Warsaw and after eleven days of appealing and pleading, their story was heard. Officials were curious as to why this hadn't come up at the refugee camps during the official Red Cross visits. As she recalls, unbeknownst to her, the Greek organizers made sure that the Macedonians were sent on day trips on the days of the Red Cross visits. Even after all this, the woman was still not allowed to leave. Greece would not accept her without a request from her husband. Her husband at the time was serving a prison sentence in the Greek concentration camps. It was not until 1954, three years later, that he was able to initiate the process for repatriation. The woman arrived home in May 1958 but could not stand the oppressive atmosphere and soon afterwards she and her family immigrated to Canada. By 1950, Greece was taking extreme measures to close her borders with Albania, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria. Trusted Albanians from Epirus were brought into Macedonia and seeded throughout the border villages to act as eyes and ears for the Greeks. Greek authorities clamped down on the remaining population and no one was allowed to travel without permission. There were strict rules of conduct put into effect, including curfews. Anyone caught wandering outdoors past dusk was shot on sight. Many shepherds quit their jobs for fear of being killed and left their sheep wandering aimlessly. One little boy had an argument with his stepfather and ran away. The authorities were not at all sympathetic and wouldn't allow the family to go looking for him. The boy's mother and sister went looking for him anyway and brought him home safely at great risk to their own safety. When the violence in Greece subsided, parents and relatives began to inquire about repatriating their children. Those who displayed some loyalty to the Greek cause were told that their children would be allowed to return if decreed by the Greek Queen Fredericka.

Unfortunately, this process required connections with the local Greek authorities and a lot of money, money that most Macedonians did not have. Those considered for repatriation had to meet a number of conditions including the willingness to accept permanent Hellenization. Children from Partisan families were automatically disqualified. Those who weren't willing to change their names or weren't liked for some reason were also disqualified. As the years passed fewer children were allowed to return and requests for repatriation continued to be ignored. Parents and relatives died and still their children were not allowed to return, not even for a visit. After travel restrictions to countries behind the iron curtain were lifted, parents in spite of the expense, old age and ill health made their way to visit their children. One woman on her deathbed made

her husband promise her that he would visit their daughter in Poland before he died. Feeling his own mortality the man, in poor health, made the long trek and after thirty years of separation saw his daughter for the first time. She will never forget her father's sacrifice. Another woman who let all four of her children (two sons and two daughters) leave during the dreaded May 1948 evacuation, also made the trek to Poland to see them for the last time. The woman was crippled from a war wound and could hardly walk but knew that soon she would die and wanted to see her children one more time. She traveled by train and in spite of her condition made it to Poland in good spirits. When she arrived, two of her children, a son and a daughter came to greet her. The daughter recognized her mother and after a long and emotional hug asked her if she knew which daughter she was. Her mother would not answer because she didn't know and didn't want to make a mistake. That deeply troubled the adult daughter who began to weep uncontrollably. She did recognize her son and called out his name but would not answer her daughter's pleas. After a while she finally recognized her, wiped her tears and with a wide smile called out her name. It was an emotional but happy ending for that family. Unfortunately for every happy ending there are dozens of sad ones. One old couple did not have enough money or the strength to make the trip to visit their children. Since then both have passed on heartbroken, with their desire to see their children unfulfilled. Many of the people I interviewed don't know why the Greek authorities wouldn't allow the children to return. In spite of pleas, even on humanitarian grounds, the Greek authorities decade after decade, government after government, maintain the same policy and will not allow the Macedonian refugee children to return home. After the war was over and all the remaining Partisans were captured or killed, people who were evacuated by the Greek authorities, were slowly allowed to go home to their own villages. While many returned to their old homes, a few families decided to make their home in the new village. Some lost their farm equipment, tools, livestock, and personal belongings to looters. For most, life had to start all over again. As tensions began to ease, those held in concentration camps were released and began to arrive home only to find their property gone. The Greek authorities, in addition to confiscating the properties of many of those who fled as refugees during the mass exodus of 1949, also confiscated the properties of those held in concentration camps. People were demoralized and constantly lived in fear of the authorities and retributions from their collaborators. There was a certain stigma attached to the relatives of Partisans or their supporters that caused them to withdraw from society and keep to themselves. Those who served in the Greek concentration camps were constantly harassed with curfews, restricted mobility, and suspicion of espionage. Many were followed by plainclothes policemen and pressured to become informants and spy on their neighbours. Strangers were viewed with suspicion and automatically assumed to be foreign spies. As radios became affordable people began to purchase them and listen to various programs, including broadcasts from Eastern Europe and the Federal Republic of Macedonia. The Greek police became vigilant and on many occasions they were observed outside people's yards listening to hear what programs were playing. Those caught listening to foreign programs were accused of espionage. The Macedonian language was once again banned from use and the "M" word became a dirty word even if it was spoken on the radio. Ever since Greece invaded the Macedonian territory, successive Greek Governments refused to acknowledge the existence of the Macedonian language. One by one, all those who came back from the Eastern European countries left for Canada, the USA, and Australia because they could no longer stand the Greek oppression.

They had tasted freedom and wanted more even if it meant abandoning their beloved ancestral homes. They remembered how life was before the latest Greek clampdown and now it was not the same. The people had changed also, they were still courteous and kind but their spirits were broken. Everyone was afraid, careful not to say anything incriminating as if every word was going to be judged and punished. Children born during this time were brought up believing that this was how life was and it was supposedly the best life one could have. They were taught to understand that Greece was the cradle of democracy and no one in the world was freer than the Greeks. Those who knew better did not dare speak otherwise. There were certain things that could not be done or discussed, especially the Greek Civil War. Children were taught Greek

chauvinist songs in school and sang them at home in front of their parents who didn't dare say anything. Even their children could unwittingly betray them. The Macedonian language became "our" language and could only be spoken in secrecy with relatives and trusted friends. The word "Macedonia" or "Macedonian" was banned from the peoples' vocabulary and could not be spoken, especially in public. Pre-school children who learned "our" language at home from their grandmothers spoke Greek with a heavy accent and were constantly teased and scolded for not knowing how to speak properly. If a child was caught speaking "our" language in class or in the yard, punishment ensued which varied from being publicly told not to speak "those filthy words" to being given a good dose of castor oil. Sometimes children sang Greek songs about the deeds of the Greek heroes and broke their parents' hearts. Their precious children were unknowingly idolizing the true criminals and murderers; Macedonia's worst enemies. Some parents, when their children were old enough to keep a secret, taught them that they were a different people, that they were Macedonian and not Greek. Other parents, however, thinking that it was in the best interest of the children not to know their true identity, allowed them to believe that they were Greek. Their loyalties however were never rewarded since it was very rare for a Macedonian child to be accepted in Greek society. It was not because Macedonian children were incapable of being intellectual, as the Greeks would have us believe, but because the Greek Government systemically discriminated against Macedonians. Discrimination was common practice especially at the individual level. Macedonians were constantly put down and as a result kept to themselves. Sometimes, however, during heated discussions or unavoidable arguments Macedonians did show discontentment but the arguments always ended with the lethal insult of being called a "Bulgar", the lowest form of life known to Greeks. The highest level of education a Macedonian child was permitted to achieve was grade six. Junior high was possible only for the children of those who had shown and continued to show loyalty to the Greek cause. One young man whose parents were killed during the Greek Civil War joined the Greek military and afterwards considered the army to be his only family. He was very loyal, studious, and hard working but was constantly denied promotions. During a military exercise he saved a high-ranking officer from drowning and for saving his life the officer promised to help him if he ever needed it. After years of frustration, finally the young soldier went to the officer with his complaint. After some investigation, the officer advised him that his requests for a promotion were turned down because he was not Greek, more specifically because his parents were of Slav origin. This unfair treatment angered the young soldier enough to leave the Greek military, the only family he had ever known. Disheartened he left Greece altogether and joined his aunt in Toronto, Canada where he is currently learning to speak Macedonian. Even though he speaks no other language, he refuses to speak Greek. After the fall of the dictatorship in Greece, in the mid-sixties, many Macedonians were publicly encouraged by the Greek politicians to leave Greece because "there was no future for them there". Many of the empty villages in western Macedonia were filled with Albanians from west central Greece. Vlahs who originally lived in the highlands of Thessaly and spent summers in the Macedonian mountains took up permanent residence there. Many applied for and were granted the properties of post-Greek Civil War migrant families. Macedonians who immigrated to Canada, the USA, and Australia at the start of the 20th century organized village associations to assisted fellow immigrants in adjusting to their new countries. As post-Greek Civil War immigration accelerated, these village associations became a haven for new immigrants and their membership grew.

Encouraged by their newfound freedoms, many of the new émigrés enjoyed their Macedonian culture and language in the diaspora. This was perceived as a threat to Greek influence both at home and abroad. As the associations grew in strength so did their threat to the Greek chokehold. To counter this, with help from the Greek Embassies and Consulates, pro-Greek factions began to infiltrate the Macedonian associations. The weaker associations were overpowered and rendered ineffective. Those that resisted managed to survive and preserve their unique Macedonian identity. For the ones that the Greeks could not subdue, parallel and competing pro-Greek associations were formed. The day a Macedonian association held an event, the pro-Greek association held a similar event, to divide the people. Macedonians wishing to participate in events and prone to blackmail were discouraged from joining the Macedonian organizations and encouraged to join the pro-Greek ones. To this day many

Macedonians will not go to any of the events fearing retribution from both the Greeks if they went to Macedonian events or fearing disappointment and disgust from the Macedonians if they went to a pro-Greek event. This is precisely why the Macedonian community in the diaspora has become a silent community. This suits the Greeks perfectly and leaves the Macedonians frustrated and disappointed. The most anti-Macedonian organization to surface from all the Greek associations is the Pan Macedonian Association, which aims to not only divide the Macedonian Nation but also destroy everything that is Macedonian. To this day this organization preys on the weak, innocent, naïve, and those who can be bought and continues to spread hatred and lies at every opportunity. The Pan Macedonian Association is a "false organization" fully financed by Greek taxpayers most of whom are unaware of its discriminatory practices and the friction it creates between fellow Greek citizens. In addition to disseminating anti-Macedonian propaganda and lobbying for "the Greek cause", many of these so-called "Greek-Macedonian" organizations spy on Macedonian organizations and individuals, reporting their activities to the Greek authorities. Many activists and supporters of the Macedonian cause, even though they are Greek citizens, are barred from returning to Greece. Their cause is noble if they serve the Greeks at their own expense, but as soon as one attempts to serve his or her own cause, they suddenly become traitors. Macedonians are refused entry into Greece at the border points without any explanation. Without consent, their passport is stamped "void" and thrown back at them. They do the same to individuals with foreign passports without respect for the foreign State's property. After years of living in Australia, one man decided to visit the Republic of Macedonia. Upon entry his passport was stamped with a beautiful red symbol, a real treasure, which made him very proud and happy. His visit to Macedonia was so wonderful that he decided to cross over into Greece and visit the village Nered, where he was born. Unfortunately, the Greek customs officials would not allow him entry. What was most unbelievable is the Greek officer took the man's Australian passport without his consent, and stamped it "void" all over. They literally destroyed the Macedonian symbol by repeatedly stamping "void" over and over until it was no longer visible. No explanation or apology was given. The Macedonian Refugee Children wish to express their gratitude to the countries and people who opened their doors to them at a time of their greatest need. They treated them not as strangers or immigrants, but as equals. They also wish to express many thanks to the countries and people for giving them the opportunity of free education in their institutions. Only through their generosity away from Greek bias did the Macedonian children prove themselves equal to all the children in the world. Free from Greek oppression they excelled in education and talent becoming professors, doctors, engineers, poets, playwrights, composers, economists, etc. Most of the refugee children today are living in the diaspora. A great number of them have immigrated to Canada, the USA, Australia, and the Republic of Macedonia. Some remained in their host countries (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Germany, and Russia) and have made them their homes. They maintain contact with each other through associations and clubs and from time to time meet, attempting to gain entry to visit their homeland. Unfortunately, to this day they have had no success. Greece, after fifty-five years, still does not want them, not even to visit.

History of the Village Oshchima

The village Oshchima is located between the cities of Lerin and Kostour at the Prespa-Lerin intersection near the source of the river Bistritsa in northwestern Aegean Macedonia. The village lies at an elevation of 1020 meters above sea level and is nestled between Mount Bigla on the north, Mount Gomnoush on the east and by Mounts Lokma and Bodantsa on the west. To the north Oshchima borders the villages Zhelevo and Psoderi, to the east, Trsie and Statitsa, to the west, Besfina and Prespa, and to the south Trnaa. Oshchima’s oldest historic accounts have been kept alive in the memories of the elders and passed on from generation to generation.

It has been said that the first inhabitants of Oshchima were Macedonian nomads who drifted there from other parts of Macedonia and settled. It is unknown how old the village is but families can be traced back to the beginning of the 18th century. By the turn of the 19th century there were 36 family groups (approximately 200 people) inhabiting the village. One or two families settled in Dolkoftsi, one in Padinie, one in Kalougerdol, two in Kirkoitcha, and the rest settled in Kashcherishche. It has been said that when the newcomers arrived the entire region was densely forested. Their shack-like homes were built from wood and straw. In Kashcherishche as the new community grew, a “gathering place” called Sfet-Kashcha (public house) was built which also served as a church. Below Kascherishche was a small natural spring believed to have healing powers. It was customary for Oshchimians to make small offerings, sometimes pieces of string cut from one’s clothing, in exchange for the spring's gift. In time the spring gained fame and became known as Sfet-coitcha, famous for its “blessed Holy water”. The original settlers built their homes all over Oshchima and were isolated from each other. Unfortunately, being apart they found themselves defenceless against raiding bandits and were forced to abandon their old houses and build new ones closer together. When the new community began to take shape they named it Gorno Ranchiplochi. The seclusion and peace for the new community was unfortunately short lived when a gang of bandits discovered and sacked it again. According to legend, the sacking took place on a rainy Easter day. A gang of Gheg (Albanian) bandits savagely attacked the village, burned down the houses and left many dead. The survivors, fearing for their lives, ran into the forested mountains and hid under an overhanging rock. Feeling secure in the forest they enjoyed the comfort of the rocky ledge and spent the rest of the day praying for their safety. Many felt that the experience touched them spiritually and gave them courage to go on. With time the rock became a symbol of strength for the Oshchimian community that commemorated the courage and bravery of the Oshchimian spirit. The area around the rock later became known as Velivden (Easter) in honour of the holy day of Easter. Since then, people who travelled by Velivden felt the rock’s powerful symbolism and paid their respects with a prayer. In times of turmoil, Oshchimians used the rock ledge secretly, unknown to the Turks, as a place of worship to celebrate Easter. The century-old smoke so indelibly impregnated the rock that the blackened marks are still visible today. The survivors of the Gheg attack eventually re-settled and built their new community deep in the wooded forest. The new settlement, as it grew, became known as Dokimo from the word "dokimia" (catastrophe) which its founders experienced that dreaded Easter day. After the community began to grow, small groups of people migrated deep into the thickest plots of woodland and began to build a new community, which later became the ancestral foundation of the present day village. Some years later, the same gang of Gheg bandits came back and was astonished to see a thriving community. After looting the village again they carried off as much as they could. On their way they met another group of bandits who were disappointed with their booty pillaged from other villages. Satisfied with their own findings the original bandits directed the new bandits to “go there, there is plenty more” which in Macedonian translates to “odite tamo, oshche ima”. In time, the village of plenty became known as OSHCHIMA from OSHCHE-IMA. The old village that was destroyed became known as Stara (Old) Oshchima. The burial site of the dead from the first raid became known as the Grobishcha (cemetery). Legend has it that in the year 1465 the old Oshchimian settlers built their first “Pravoslavna” (Old Christian Orthodox) church (tsrkve) in the middle of the Oshchima cemetery.

The church was very small approximately 22 square meters (or laka) in size and dedicated to Sveti Jovan. Every year on January 7th the entire community gathered together to celebrate Svety Jovan and honour the dead from Old Oshchima. For security reasons celebrations took place during the night. In the old days prayer was conducted in the dark to avoid raids and attacks by bandits. Later, after the Ottoman occupation, the practice was continued to avoid being caught and persecuted by the Muslims. After mass the community would split into two groups, so as not to create too big of a crowd and raise suspicion, and go to two separate homes for the feast. No music was played, to avoid attention. Each year two different families took turns hosting the celebrations.

In 1867 the people of Oshchima constructed a bigger, more modern Christian Orthodox church and dedicated it to Sveti Nikola, the patron saint of children and sailors. The church was built near the old cemetery and took nearly ten years to complete. In 1911, with some financial help from Benefit Society Oshchima in Toronto, a new belfry was added. Before Patriachist or Exarchist influence, Sveti Nikola was a Macedonian Church where service was conducted in the Macedonian language, by Macedonian priests. On May 20th of each year Oshchima threw a huge celebration to honour its saint. This was a community affair that included outdoor music, dancing, and plenty of food and drink. May 20th was chosen for its good weather, best suited for this outdoor event. In addition to every Oshchimian, relatives and friends from the neighbouring villages such as Besfina, Trnaa, Rula and Zhelevo were also invited to participate in the event. Each family was more than glad to play host to as many visitors as they could accommodate. Everyone was welcome. Every year on December 6th the village also celebrated the namesake Svety Nikola. This time, however, visits were made to families with family members named Nikola. After building the Sveti Nikola Church and as the Oshchimian community became more prosperous, it built a community centre and named it “Aeer” (progress). The community centre was located near the Sveti Nikola Church and served as a gathering place for meetings and other community events. Later it also served as a school for teaching Oshchimian children to read and write in the Macedonian language (until 1913). Eventually, when the Aeer became too small to serve the community needs, a new one was built. As travel became more common, it also served as a lodge for many travellers including roving Gypsies, horse-traders, tin shapers, shoemakers, fish traders, and blacksmiths. Oshchima boasted being the only village in the region to provide free lodging for travellers and their draft animals. Around the turn of the 20th century, Oshchimians built a second church. The idea came about after several people reported strange and unexplained phenomena in the woods of Osoi. One reported hearing crying voices, another saw floating lights, and another saw a large icon appear and disappear. These phenomena were interpreted, by some, as divine manifestations and the village elders were persuaded to declare the area holy. In 1921, a Christian Orthodox monastery was built on the same spot, in honour of Svety Ilia. Since then, every year on July 20th the village hosted one of its biggest celebrations, second only to Sveti Nikola on May 20th. By comparison Sveti Ilia was a modern brightly-lit church with many large windows. Sveti Nikola, on the other hand, had a much darker interior with tall, narrow windows high above the floor. Sveti Nikola was built during the Turkish era with security in mind. The need for strong security was also reflected in the thickness of the steel-hinged hardwood door, designed to guard against forceful entry. Religion was important to the Oshchimians who regularly observed mass and prayer. Every Sunday and most holidays the community gathered together at Sveti Nikola Church for prayer and to share food and drink. After mass, the parishioners went to the churchyard to receive food and drink from the women who were honouring their dead. It is a Macedonian tradition to offer food and drink to the living, in the name of the departed. By 1939 the population of Oshchima had grown to approximately 600 residents, consisting of 114 families. An elected committee of village elders and a mayor managed village affairs, social work, and civic duties. Volunteers organized and did most of the community work, each family giving five days of service a year for repairing bridges, water canals, and roads. In addition to dealing with civic matters, the elected committee was also consulted on legal matters. Only after all avenues were exhausted did Oshchimians consult lawyers and the courts.

Honour, self-sacrifice, and honesty were encouraged and played a big part in the lives of each Oshchimian. This compensated for the harsh economic conditions brought on by the villages' poor topology and the regional political climate. Residents were compelled to work extra hard in order to survive. Under Turkish rule, Oshchimians and Macedonians alike had some freedom of choice in choosing their schools, culture, religion, traditions, and language. As long as they did not interfere with the affairs of the Turks and paid their taxes, the Turkish authorities usually looked the other way.

Macedonians didn’t like being occupied but after five hundred years it was accepted as another burden to bear in their daily lives. Life became even harsher after the 1912-1913 Balkan wars. The Greek occupation put an end to all that was Macedonian. Greek policies of forced assimilation erased the Macedonian language and abolished long-standing Macedonian traditions, even in small places like Oshchima. Place names and buildings alike were given Greek names. The Svety Nikola Church, the most cherished Oshchimian possession, was re-named Agios Nikolaos. All the Macedonian writing in the church was erased, including the names of the saint on the icons and the names of the dead on the gravestones. The Macedonian writing on the civic building and stone markers was also erased and replaced with a Greek equivalent. The village was renamed Trigonon which had absolutely no historical significance or meaning for the tradition bound Oshchimians. People’s names were also changed and Boris was renamed Vironos, Trpo became Trifunas, Kita became Stavroula, and Slava became Evdoxia. The city of Lerin became Florina, Voden became Edessa, and so on. Even before the Balkan wars, the Greeks recruited many collaborators and put them to work to spy on the Macedonian community. The Patriarchists and the Greek Church played a key role in recruiting and compensating spies for their services. Karavangelis the Metropolitan (Bishop) of Kostour was a key figure responsible for organizing spy rings, ordering and paying for assassinations, imprisonment, and generally terrorizing the Macedonian communities of Lerin and Kostour regions. It was on Karavangelis’s orders that the Greek Andari (bounty hunters) assassinated the Oshchimian priest, Pop Georgi Lalov (Lazarov). The priest’s throat was slashed, his beard skinned from his face, and his blessing fingers cut off. Beard and fingers were delivered to Karavangelis as trophies in exchange for gold coins. Another well-known collaborator whose unholy touch was felt by many Oshchimians was Kote from Rula (now a Greek hero). Karavangelis paid him and his band of criminals, in gold, to kill, pillage, and terrorize Macedonian villages. After the unsuccessful 1903 Ilinden rebellion, the Turks savagely attacked and burned many Macedonian villages. Some Oshchimians, fearing Turkish retribution, fled to Bulgaria, the USA, and Canada not knowing that they would never be able to return. Terrorized by the Turks, life in the village became harsh and depressing. The freedom, happiness, celebrations, culture, and tradition previously enjoyed were all gone. Only memories remained. Expecting to be liberated in 1912 by their Christian brothers Macedonians found however, that life turned for the worse after Macedonia was occupied in 1913. Migration became even more prevalent after the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 with people flocking overseas to Australia, the USA, and Canada. Soon after the occupation, the people of Oshchima were faced with the harsh realization that Greece was out to destroy and uproot everything that was Macedonian. Nothing was left for Oshchimians at home, no hope for a decent life and no future for their children. From the outset the Greek Government discriminated against those who openly declared themselves Macedonian as well as those Macedonians that declared themselves Greek and were loyal to the Greek cause. Families of many Macedonian soldiers and volunteer fighters, who died fighting for Greece, were denied pensions on the grounds that they were not Greeks. For example, Elia Spiro Temov from Oshchima was killed in Asia Minor on the Asian front in 1922. His family received no pension because, according to the Greek Government, he was a “Slav-Bulgarophill” (Greeks refused to recognize him as a Macedonian). So anyone who was non-Greek was a Slav or Bulgar. Stavre Sfetko Nanov, also from Oshchima, was killed on the Albanian front in 1941. No pension or other compensation was given to his family either. In the early days of the occupation, the Greek language was unknown to Oshchimians.

Only the young who received schooling in the Greek language understood it. Greek was definitely foreign to the elderly. To force Oshchimians to learn and speak Greek, from 1936 to 1940, the Greek State banned the use of the Macedonian language in public and at home. For many this was a scary experience. Incredibly, even the dogs and oxen had to learn to obey commands in Greek, otherwise there would be a fine of 160 drachmas. This was much more than most Oshchimians could afford. As an extra incentive, part of the fine was awarded to the police officer making the arrest. Greed and vicious hatred for the Macedonian

people turned the Greek police into rabid dogs tracking down old ladies without mercy. People became mute as if wearing an invisible zipper on their mouths. The women could no longer sing songs at work or gossip around the water fountain in Oreshki. Life was made even more difficult by the Greek Government’s directive of forced night school. After working long, hard hours in the fields, all adults, including the elderly, had to endure night classes to learn the Greek language. For most, this was indeed a bitter disappointment. After World War II broke out, Oshchimians, being well acquainted with oppression, found it worrisome to entertain yet another occupation. After a while, however, it became obvious that the new regime was not interested in the day to day activities of ordinary Oshchimians. In fact, the only contact Oshchimians had with German, Italian or Bulgarian troops were in passing by or when being recruited for work details. Only occasionally did German troops use Oshchima for short stays. Oshchimians began to enjoy their freedom and once again spoke the Macedonian language at home and in public without fear of persecution. It was not all without incident however. Daily activities were sometimes interrupted by unforeseen events and are worth mentioning. It was mid morning on a clear day in April 1941 when many Oshchimians heard the roar of bombers overhead. The day before many had heard the same roar but it was somewhat different this day. The Germans were advancing and the British were trying to slow them down. The previous day about a dozen British bombers had attacked the railroads at Lerin. Perhaps they had been unsuccessful or their mission was incomplete so they came back the next day. But this time it was different, the Germans had acquired anti aircraft fighters and were ready for them. On this occasion Oshchimians witnessed one of these fighters down six bombers. It was a fierce and horrible fight in the skies. One mosquito-sized craft chased and shot down six large bombers trying desperately to flee in all directions. The sky was on fire and people fled in panic to avoid being hit by flying debris. One of the bombers crashed in the middle of a field in Stara Oshchima. The plane broke up on contact and disintegrated into many pieces. The impact left a deep crater in the middle of the field as well as a few unexploded bombs. According to eyewitnesses all of the crew had been killed by machine gun fire before the plane crashed. The village buried the dead near the crash site with proper respect and religious ceremonies. In 1945 the British military reclaimed the crewmen’s remains and took them home. It was an ordinary summer day in 1944 and for some time now people had become accustomed to German patrols making their routine rounds between Zhelevo and Breznitsa inspecting the road and the communications lines. Early each morning four German soldiers set out on foot, two from Zhelevo and two from Breznitsa. When the patrols met about half way, they reversed direction and continued their trek walking back and forth all day. On this particular day, ten Partisans came to Oshchima and decided to attack and capture the patrol from Zhelevo. They set a trap in a ditch near Trnaa and sat in wait. In the meantime, two men from Oshchima, Paso Boglev and Giro Keleshov were at a nearby mill. Paso left his donkey by the road to graze and stepped inside the mill. As the Germans passed by the unattended donkey one of them took it and continued his journey riding. As the two Germans neared the Partisan trap, the only armed Partisan sprang up and fired a rapid volley in the air. Unfortunately, after the initial volley the gun jammed. The Germans quickly hid in the ravine beside the road and began firing back. The Partisans discouraged by their failed attempt, quickly fled into the mountains. Hearing gunfire in the distance, the Germans in Zhelevo quickly rushed to investigate. Also hearing gunfire, Paso and Giro left the mill and went to the road to see what was happening.

On their way up they were met by a fast moving German military vehicle rushing towards them. Seeing the rushing vehicle with armed Germans approaching, the two men became startled and fled. Paso ran into the river and hid but Giro ran for the hills and was in full view. The Germans seeing the man flee, immediately gave chase and fired at him. The people in the village hearing the commotion and gunfire feared for their lives and ran. The Germans seeing people running began to fire at anything that moved. An old woman, Soulta Toupourkovska, was shot in the neck and killed by a stray bullet. The brothers Nikola and Vasil Stefovski heard gunfire and came out of the house to investigate. They too were fired upon and fearing for their lives ran barefoot from Oshchima to Statitsa. At one point as they were running by a wall, Nikola felt a sharp, burning pain on his back and