Denes nad Makedonija

"Template:Lang" (Template:Langx, Template:IPA; Template:Lit) is the national anthem of North Macedonia. Todor Skalovski composed the music and Vlado Maleski wrote the lyrics of the song in the early 1940s. It was adopted as the national anthem in 1992, almost a year after the state's independence from Yugoslavia. Before its adoption as a national anthem, it was used as the regional anthem of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, a constituent state of Yugoslavia, before it became the national anthem of the Republic of North Macedonia.

History

A monument in Struga dedicated to "Denes nad Makedonija"

A Macedonian soldier saluting on behalf of his subordinates during a performance of the anthem at Camp Taji in 2008

The lyrics of "Denes nad Makedonija" were penned by Vlado Maleski in 1941,<ref name="ck">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a writer who was active in the Macedonian Partisan movement during World War II. The musical portion was composed by Todor Skalovski.<ref name=Bechev>Template:Cite book</ref> The song was first played in 1941 in Struga,<ref name=identity>Template:Cite book</ref> among partisan and communist circles.<ref name=Kolstø>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to oral recounts, the song was performed by Maleski himself on New Year's Eve in the presence of 24 youths, whose identities were subsequently documented in writing only in 1981. Even though the resistance consisted of fighters from the different ethnic groups across Yugoslavia, the aforementioned youths are believed to have all identified as Macedonians. The names of Goce Delčev, Pitu Guli, Nikola Karev, Jane Sandanski and Dimitar Vlahov were referred to because they advocated for an independent Macedonia and were against Bulgarian irredentism. Per academics Aleksandar Pavković and Christopher Kellen, they essentially had the same cause as the partisans in the National Liberation Struggle.<ref name=identity/> From the end of the war, it was utilized – albeit unofficially<ref name=identity/> – as the regional anthem of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia (which was part of Yugoslavia at the time)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> until 1989.<ref name=identity/> In June 1943, the song was published in a collection of Macedonian national liberation songs, edited by Kočo Racin.<ref name=identity/><ref name="ck" />

During the Informbiro period, a small change was made in the lyrics. In the new version, the names of Karev and Vlahov were removed and that of Dame Gruev was added.<ref name="Kolstø" /><ref>Keith Brown, The Past in Question: Modern Macedonia and the Uncertainties of Nation, Princeton University Press, 2018 Template:ISBN, p. 191.</ref><ref>Andrew Rossos, Macedonia and the Macedonians: A History; Hoover Institution Press Publication, Hoover Press, 2013, Template:ISBN, p. 238.</ref> There is no official explanation for the changes in the lyrics,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> although it has been debated.<ref name="identity" /> On 14 April 1989, the socialist republic's Assembly amended the Constitution of 1974, expressly affirming "Denes nad Makedonija" as its official regional anthem.<ref name=identity/> However, this change was short-lived, as the Assembly declared Macedonia's sovereignty two years later in January.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Macedonia's independence was approved on 8 September 1991 in a referendum that saw Macedonians vote overwhelmingly in favor of independence.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref><ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

Soon after independence, the Macedonian national legislature held a contest to determine a national anthem for the state.<ref name=identity/> "Denes nad Makedonija" was one of several candidates in contention<ref name=Kolstø/> – the others in the running were "Himna" (Template:Langx, Template:Literal translation) by Taki Hrisik and "Da ni bideš večna" (Template:Langx) by Aleksandar Džambazov<ref name=identity/> – and ended up finishing runner-up in the final results.<ref name=Kolstø/> Despite this, most members of the Assembly Commission voted to make it the national anthem of the state, and it was duly adopted on 11 August 1992.<ref name=Kolstø/><ref name=identity/> A deputy had proposed restoring the name of Karev in the lyrics, whose proposal was declined.<ref name="Kolstø" /> The Albanian political parties did not support the anthem on the basis that it favored one ethnic group and excluded the others.<ref name="Kolstø" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Legal protection and reception

Macedonia's Sobranie (legislative chamber) passed legislation titled "The Law on the Anthem of the Republic of Macedonia" on 11 August 1992. This officially adopted "Denes nad Makedonija" as the national anthem of the country,<ref name=identity/> with Article 2 specifically confirming the song's status as such.<ref name=Kolstø/> However, it did not stipulate which stanzas should be recognized as official.<ref name=identity/> Article 5 of the country's constitution requires laws regarding national symbols to be approved by a two-thirds majority.<ref name=identity/><ref name=MFA/> Although 88 out of the 120 members of the Assembly voted for it, Albanian representatives were not involved.<ref name=Kolstø/>

In the 2011 IPSOS survey, 84.8% of the respondents said that they liked the anthem, while 15.2% said they did not. Ethnically, 54% of the Albanian respondents said they did not like it and 46% said they did, while 97% of the Macedonian respondents said that they liked it.<ref name="Kolstø" />

Lyrics

"Denes nad Makedonija", as originally written, consists of four stanzas. North Macedonia's law does not exactly specify which stanzas officially constitute the national anthem.<ref name=identity/> However, the second stanza is often omitted from the lyrics of the national anthem that are posted on North Macedonia's government websites.<ref name=Zdravljica/><ref name=MFA>Template:Cite web</ref>

The lyrics of "Denes nad Makedonija" are reflective of a military marching song, which is fitting given its connection to the Yugoslav Macedonian theatre of the Second World War. They are not a call to arms for Macedonians; instead, the hymn uses imagery to take the person singing it back to the time the anthem was written and purports that they themselves were engaging in combat at the time.<ref name=identity/> The lyrics previously alluded to the concepts of mothers and motherhood (specifically in the second stanza). This is in line with the national anthems – both past and present – of other Southeast European countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina ("Jedna si jedina"), Croatia ("Horvatska domovina"), and Montenegro ("Oj, svijetla majska zoro").<ref name=Zdravljica>Template:Cite journal Template:Registration required</ref> It discussed how mothers mourn for their fallen sons, who died fighting for the rights and liberty of their country. They are comforted for their loss by being reminded of the bravery of their sons and the nobleness of the cause for which they died. Although this theme has been described as a "standard anthemic device", it was subsequently expunged from the official words of the state anthem.<ref name=Zdravljica/> The lyrics which also mention the inter-generational and inter-gender unity in the fight for rights are omitted.<ref name="identity" />

Official Macedonian lyrics<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Romanization of Macedonian	IPA transcriptionTemplate:Efn
<poem>Template:Lang</poem>	<poem>Template:Transliteration</poem>	<poem>Template:IPA</poem>

Albanian translation<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

English translation<ref name=MFA/><ref name="Kolstø" />

<poem>Template:Lang</poem>

<poem>Today over Macedonia is born the new sun of liberty. 𝄆 The Macedonians fight for their own rights! 𝄇 Do not cry, dear mother Macedonia, Raise your head proudly high, 𝄆 Old, young, men, and women, have risen to their feet! 𝄇Template:Efn Now once again the flag flutters, (that) of the Kruševo Republic 𝄆 Goce Delčev, Pitu Guli Dame Gruev, Sandanski! 𝄇 The Macedonian woods resoundly sing new songs and news! 𝄆 Macedonia liberated lives in liberty! 𝄇</poem>

See also

• March of the Macedonian Revolutionaries

External links

• Government of North Macedonia – North Macedonia's government website has a page about North Macedonia's national symbols such as the national anthem, including a vocal version Template:In lang
• MP3 sound file (instrumental)
• Denes nad Makedonija (old version)