Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
- Public Holiday
- Countrywide
- Fixed date
Overview
The Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle marks the founding of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, known as IMRO or VMRO, on 23 October 1893. It is a national holiday in North Macedonia, sometimes called the Day of VMRO, and a non-working day.
What It Is
Observed every 23 October, the day is a non-working day across North Macedonia. It was voted into law as a new national holiday in 2007. Because the date is fixed, it lands on a different weekday each year. The state also gives out a "23 October" award, the country's highest recognition for long-standing achievement in fields such as science, culture and education.
Why It Matters
The holiday commemorates the day in 1893 when the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization was founded in Thessaloniki, then part of the Ottoman Empire. The organization worked toward autonomy for the Macedonian lands and later organized the Ilinden Uprising of 1903. By choosing the date of its founding, the 2007 law gave the country a day to recall the revolutionary struggle that preceded modern statehood and to honor those who took part in it.
Countries Celebrating
1 country
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