Bloody Christmas 1945
Encyclopedia
The Bloody Christmas or the Bloody Bozhik (Кървав Божик, Karvav Bozhik) was a campaign in which 1,200 people with openly-proclaimed Bulgarian national self-consciousness were killed by the Yugoslav communist authorities in the Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia between January 7–9, 1945.
Acting on the order of Josip Broz Tito
, 1,200 Bulgarians
were executed according to specially-prepared lists by Lazar Koliševski
. The idea was to weaken the Bulgarian intelligentsia in Macedonia, to eradicate the Bulgarian self-consciousness of the population in Vardar Macedonia and to speed-up the process of Macedonisation. During the terror of 1945, on the road between the lake Ohrid
and lake Prespa
, on the hills of the Galichica Mountain near the village of Teševo and other villages, 23,000 more Bulgarians were executed. Most of the bodies were disposed of in the Prespa lake. Nearly all inhabited places in Vardar Macedonia
provided victims for the campaign. As a result of the purge, 130,000 Bulgarians were deported, displaced, persecuted or sent to concentration camps of the Former Yugoslavia
. In Bulgaria, the campaign is referred to as the "Bulgarian Katyn
".
Acting on the order of Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
, 1,200 Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
were executed according to specially-prepared lists by Lazar Koliševski
Lazar Koliševski
Lazar Koliševski was a Communist political leader in Socialist Republic of Macedonia and briefly the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia closely allied with Tito.- Early years :...
. The idea was to weaken the Bulgarian intelligentsia in Macedonia, to eradicate the Bulgarian self-consciousness of the population in Vardar Macedonia and to speed-up the process of Macedonisation. During the terror of 1945, on the road between the lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem with more than 200 endemic species that is of worldwide importance...
and lake Prespa
Lake Prespa
Prespa is the name of two freshwater lakes in southeast Europe, shared by Greece, Albania, and Macedonia. Of the total surface area, belongs to Macedonia, to Greece and to Albania...
, on the hills of the Galichica Mountain near the village of Teševo and other villages, 23,000 more Bulgarians were executed. Most of the bodies were disposed of in the Prespa lake. Nearly all inhabited places in Vardar Macedonia
Vardar Macedonia
Vardar Macedonia is an area in the north of the Macedonia . The borders of the area are those of the Republic of Macedonia. It covers an area of...
provided victims for the campaign. As a result of the purge, 130,000 Bulgarians were deported, displaced, persecuted or sent to concentration camps of the Former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. In Bulgaria, the campaign is referred to as the "Bulgarian Katyn
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
".