Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle (Holiday)

The holiday is celebrated on the occasion of the formation of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) in Thessaloniki. On October 23, 1893, six young men gathered at the home of the bookstore owner Ivan Hadži Nikolov in Thessaloniki in order to form the group. The founders were: Hristo Tatarčev, Dame Gruev, Petar Pop Arsov, Ivan Hadži Nikolov, Andon Dimitrov and Hristo Batandžiev.^[2] The holiday was introduced in 2007 by the government of VMRO-DPMNE.^[3] "23 October" was also declared as a state award for "the highest acknowledgement of longstanding achievements in the field of science, culture, education, protection of state interests and promotion of state priorities, values and cultural-historic heritage of Macedonia".^[4]

In 2006, some Macedonian circles espoused the view that this celebration is related to the ideas of Greater Bulgaria.^[5] When the holiday was introduced, the celebration of the holiday between Macedonian citizens was disputed, with some supporting it and others opposing it or not knowing. The Macedonian opposition at the time, led by Social Democratic Union of Macedonia, was against the celebration of the holiday because it considered it as a partisan holiday of VMRO-DPMNE. Macedonian historians welcomed the declaration of the day as a holiday, with historian Violeta Ačkoska stating that the holiday should be a symbol of Macedonian national reconciliation and Macedonian national unity.^[6] According to Macedonian writer and former governmental minister Dimitar Dimitrov, this public holiday determined according to the date of the foundation of an organization with the original name Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Revolutionary Committees, is unnecessary, arguing that it causes a surplus of holidays because IMRO is already represented in the holiday Republic Day.^[7]

• Public holidays in North Macedonia