News

AGNOMENS AND NICKNAMES IN AROMANIAN ONOMASTICS

by Dumitru CARABAŞ Abstract The onomastic material that I will present shows us the richness, diversity and specificity of Aromanian anthroponymy. The agnomen is the most distinctive feature of Aromanian anthroponymy. Nicknames are spontaneous creations, relatively fortuitous, not caused by objective reasons. They are part of the precious human spirituality, are the proof of the ...
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Discovering an Old Photo and with It, Some Family History

by Janine Tegu I always thought that there weren’t that many Greeks/Vlachs in the Vermont area (I guess my mistake).  I always thought that there were a lot more in the Massachusetts and the New Hampshire area. Well, some time ago, I found this photo taken July 26, 1931 at Lake Hortonia, Vermont. It would ...
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Dr. Margaret Felis on Icon Painting

In March I was able to interview SF member Dr. Margaret Felis about icon painting.  The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Thanks to Margaret for her generosity of time and editing help.  elissa mondschein elissa: Tell me where you were living at the time you started painting the icons, and how did ...
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Discovery: an Amazing Family Odyssey

L to R: Shuka, Vangele, Cosmachi, Ahilea, Licha (Nick) Fatsy (missing: Thanas) By Rebecca M. Townsend A first cousin, twice removed, “was a true modern day hero,” and I was amazed to learn more about him. My husband Tom is the genealogist in our family, and, having documented his own family thoroughly, took on the ...
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HARALAMBIE GEORGE CICMA Autobiographie Part V

A Vlach’s Life in His time PART V NEW YORK CITY We were subjected to a severe inspection and intensive interrogation at the immigration office; everyone was trembling, afraid that they would be rejected. We were sent through a gate, where two physicians examined us, paying special attention to our eyes, another person there made ...
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An exhibit of handwoven tapestries in Samarina

By Maria Psomiades During my visit to Samarina village in Greece last summer, I visited a fascinating exhibit with hand-woven tapestries. They were temporarily lent for the exhibit by the residents, who preserve them and pass them from one generation to another. Although I was familiar with the art of weaving, I was blown away ...
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issue 5 Aromanian News

Aromanian News: Issue 5

Dr. Margaret Felis on Icon Painting An Interview with Elissa Mondschein Margaret Felis grew up in central Massachusetts. She is a 4th generation member of the Society Farsharotu and a member of the Society's Advisory Board...
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Haralambie George Cicma Autobiographie part IV

A Vlachs’s Life in His Time (Continued from last issue) In an attempt to avoid a confrontation with Uncle Dimitri regarding my feelings towards Pusha, as well to avoid family pressure to choose Maritsa, I decided to spend the 1912 summer vacation at the Lyceum. Ten days into my vacation, I was aston- ished to ...
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Haralambie George Cicma Autobiographie Part III

PART  III (Continued from last issue) Student George Cicma in Turkish Lyceum’s uniform On the tenth of September, 1908, five girls and I started for Monistir- Bitolia; the girls were to attend the Romanian Normal School there; we traveled by horse in a caravan. We rode all day, spent the night at Grebena, the following ...
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Transhumants and Rural Change in Northern Greece Throughout the Nineteenth Century

This article examines the sedentarization of transhumants in northern Greece within the context of the political, legal, social, and economic transformation of the region that occurred throughout the nineteenth century. Based on a wide range of primary sources, this research conducts a chronological survey of the local actors, events, and institutions with reference to a ...
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issue 4 Aromanian News

Aromanian News: Issue 4

Welcome to our friends and supporters! We enjoy heariing from you, feel free to email us with your comments and ideas for future news items. Thanks and enjoy this issue. Discovery: A Web Site for Istro-Romanian, A Disappearing Sister Language While the Latin-based languages of Western Europe (Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and others) are widely ...
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arom news issue 3 Aromanian News

Aromanian News: Issue 3

We created this e-newsletter to share information and news with the Aromanian community in the US and beyond. Welcome to all our friends and supporters! We would love to hear from you, please email us with your comments and ideas for future news items. Thanks — and enjoy this issue… Have You Seen Our YouTube ...
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Ethnic Identity of Aromanians/Vlachs in the 21st Century

This article traces various forms of Aromanian’s identity, an ethnic group/nation of the Balkan region. It considers disputes and discussions around the desired directions of community development, political and cultural strategies. It highlights different ways of expressing the sense of ethnic bonds – relationships between Aromanians as an ethnic group, the ways of setting the ...
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issue 2 Aromanian News

Aromanian News: Issue 2

Welcome! We created this e-newsletter to share information and news with the Aromanian community in the US and around the world. Welcome/Ghini vinjit to all our members, friends, and supporters! We would love to hear from you, so email us with your comments and ideas for future news items. Thanks, we hope you enjoy this ...
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Michael Costulas

Michael Costulas was born in Sourpi in the Greek province of Thessaly, the son of Adam and Theodora Maze Costulas. He was one of five children. His parents farmed tobacco and bred horses. His father died when he was three years old. Young Michael Costulas was able to attend grammar school where he thoroughly learned ...
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Haralambie Cicma Autobiographie Part II

We had a large garden at home, a wooden rail fence surrounded it. Part of my duties was to keep this mended;I would find the tallest, straightest trees in the forest, cut them, trim them, and drag them home. The size and weight of these rails aroused the curiosity of the townspeople—no one could understand how ...
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thumbnail Haralambie Cicma

Haralambie Cicma Autobiographie part 1

A Vlach’s Life in His time Part I. Family My grandfather, Costa Cicma and his wife, Despina, had eight children; four sons—Dimitri, George, Nicho­las and John, also four daughters— Maria, Kiratsa, Theodora and Hrisa. He was not wealthy, his pay as a leader of the Armatoli (protectors of the town) was not sufficient to sup­port ...
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issue 1 Aromanian News

Aromanian News: Issue 1

Welcome! We created this e-newsletter to share information and news with the Aromanian community in the US and around the world. Welcome to all our members, friends, and supporters! We would love to hear from you, so email us with your comments and ideas for future news items. Thanks — and enjoy this first issue… ...
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The Vlachs in Macedonia in the 19th and 20th Centuries

THE VLACHS IN MACEDONIA IN THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES* By Nikola MiNov ABSTRACT: This article summarizes the known data about the localization and numerical distribution of various Vlach groups in Macedonia in the 19th and 20th centuries. Each Vlach group’s (Moscopolitan; Grammoustian; Farsherot and Moglenite Vlachs) migrations are analyzed separately, following them from their ...
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The Ethnic Composition of Medieval Epirus

The Ethnic Composition of Medieval Epirus by Brendan Osswald ABSTRACT Medieval Epirus was the melting pot of many migratory influxes, whether Slav, Vlach, Jewish, Albanian or Italian. Some Greek refugees also found asylum in this province during hard times. The best documented period is that from 1200 onwards. During the last three centuries of the ...
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