Alona, Greece

Alona (Greek: Άλωνα; romanized: Álona; Bulgarian & Macedonian: Арменско‎) is a mountainous village in the region of Florina, northern Greece. It is located on the slope of mountain Pelister, in an average height of 1,000 metres. According to the 2011 Greek census, it numbered 211 inhabitants.

Alona Άλωνα, Арменско‎
Alona, then Armenskon in 1917
Alona
Coordinates: 40°46′37″N 21°18′10″E
Country	Greece
Administrative region	West Macedonia
Regional unit	Florina
Municipality	Florina
Municipal unit	Florina
Highest elevation	1,030 m (3,380 ft)
Lowest elevation	970 m (3,180 ft)
Community [1]
• Population	211 (2011)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Vehicle registration	ΡΑ

History

The village was founded by Armenians, spoon masters. In the Ottoman tax registers of the non-Muslim population from 1626 to 1627, the village was recorded under the name Ermencheva with 53 Christian households.[2] In 1848, the Russian Slavist Victor Grigorovich described the village as Bulgarian.[3] Even until 1940, according to the EAM member Pavlos Koufis, the inhabitants of the village continued to be predominantly Slavophone,[4] with the exception of some Grecophone Sarakatsani families.[5]

Some people of the village took part in the Ilinden Uprising in 1903,[6] which resulted in major catastrophes to the village and several of its inhabitants were slaughtered by the Ottoman forces during a battle with komitadjis near the village.[7] Many inhabitants of the village also participated in the Macedonian Struggle, either siding with IMRO either with the Macedonian Committee. In September 1905, approximately 20 Macedonian fighters led by chieftains Pavlos Kyrou and Stefanos Grigoriou entered the village, killing 2 armed men who were assosicated with IMRO.[8][9]

In 1940 Alona had 991[10] inhabitants who 2/3 had partial or non-Greek self-identification.[9] During the Axis occupation of Greece a group of the inhabitants of the village assisted Bulgaria.[11] Later, 7 of the inhabitants of the village were executed by the Germans, of which 3 were accused of being andarts of ELAS.[12]

According to some estimates,[13] during the Greek Civil War, more than 150 locals were conscripted into the Democratic Army of Greece. Of which, 57[13] or 61[12] were killed during combat operations, executed or died in prison or exile, while one was killed fighting alongside government forces.[12] With the end of the Civil War, the defeated rebels fled to the socialist countries, and in the following decades there was a wave of immigration to the United States, Australia and Canada, resulting in the dramatical decrease of the permanent population of the village.[12]

The chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle Simos Ioannidis who was born in the village (sitting)

Personalities

People of the Hellenic Macedonian Committee like chieftain Simos Ioannidis and Makedonomachoi such as Petros Alexiou,[14] Petros Stoikou,[14] Spyridon Tasis[14] and Konstantinos Temelkou were born in Alona or then known as Armenskon.[14][15] The Bulgarian komitadjis Ivan Gochev Kulinov[16] and Anastas Iliev[17] were born in the village as well. The author and soldier of the Greek Resistance Pavlos Koufis (1913-2003) was from Alona too.[18]

Culture

The traditional costume of the Alonians was the inspiration for the uniform of the Makedonomachoi, which today is the official uniform of the Evzones in Syntagma Square of Athens.[19] The settlement bearts its name to the traditional dance of Aloniotikos or known as well as Armetskoto.[20]

References

1. "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
2. Турски извори за българската история, т. VII, София 1986, с. 332.
3. Григорович, В. Очеркъ путешествія по Европейской Турціи, Москва, 1877, стр.93.
4. Παύλος Κούφης, "Άλωνα Φλώρινας - Αγώνες και θυσίες", Athens, 1990, p. 148.
5. Σύλλογος Σαρακατσαναίων Δυτικής Μακεδονίας «Ο Φλάμπουρας» το ιδρυτικό πρώτο διοικητικό συμβούλιο
6. Atanas Tane Naumovski, "Lerin in mourning", Pollitecon Publications, Wareemba, NSW, Australia, 2014, p. 73.
7. Newspaper Σκριπ, 13 August 1903, p. 1-2
8. Georgios Modis, "Μακεδονικός Αγών και Μακεδόνες αρχηγοί", vol. 2, Thessaloniki, 2007, p. 224-225.
9. Δημήτρης Λιθοξόου, "Πληθυσμός και οικισμοί της περιοχής Φλώρινας", Αρμένσκο
10. Μιχαήλ Σταματελάτος & Φωτεινή Βαμβά-Σταματελάτου, "Γεωγραφικό Λεξικό της Ελλάδας", vol. 1, Ta Nea, Athens, 2012, p. 63.
11. John S. Koliopoulos, "Λεηλασία Φρονημάτων", vol. 1, publ. Βάνιας, edition 2, Thessaloniki, 1996, p. 38.
12. John S. Koliopoulos, "Λεηλασία Φρονημάτων", vol. 2, publ. Βάνιας, Thessaloniki, 1995, p. 251.
13. Atanas Tane Naumovski, 2014, p. 74.
14. Ε. Φωτιάδου, "Η συμμετοχή του νομού Φλωρίνης στο Μακεδονικό Αγώνα", magazine Αριστοτέλης, part 156 (1982), p. 16-20
15. John S. Koliopoulos, "Αφανείς, Γηγενείς Μακεδονομάχοι", University Studio Press, 2008, p. 162
16. Николов, Борис Й. Вътрешна македоно-одринска революционна организация. Войводи и ръководители (1893-1934). Биографично-библиографски справочник, София 2001, стр. 87.
17. Македонски Алманах, издава Ц.К. на МПО, редактор Петър Ацев, издание на "The Macedonian Tribune", Indianapolis 1940, стр.326-327.
18. Article in the newspaper Ριζοσπάστης, 16-4-2006: "Μνήμες Αγωνιστών"
19. "Περιφερειακή Ενότητα Φλώρινας, Περιφέρεια Δυτικής Μακεδονίας, Τοπογραφία του Νομού Φλώρινας, Κοινότητες της πεδιάδας Φλώρινας". Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
20. Κώστας Τσώνης, Λαϊκοί Οργανοπαίχτες και Μουσικοχορευτική Παράδοση της Φλώρινας, στη Μελβούρνη της Αυστραλίας, E. Close, M. Tsianikas and G. Couvalis (editors) "Greek Research in Australia: Proceedings of the Sixth Biennial International Conference of Greek Studies, Flinders University June 2005", Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek: Adelaide, 2007, p. 439-448.