Independence Day ( mk, Ден на независноста, Den na nezavisnosta) in

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

is celebrated on 8 September. It has been a national holiday since 1991, when, following a referendum for Independence,

SR Macedonia The Socialist Republic of Macedonia ( mk, Социјалистичка Република Македонија, Socijalistička Republika Makedonija), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia or Yugoslav Macedonia, was ...

gained its independence from

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

, where it was a federal state, and became a sovereign parliamentary democracy.

History

On 8 September 1991, over 95.5% of the 75.8% turnout voters on the Referendum voted for the independence of the Republic Macedonia. ''"Dear citizens of Macedonia, allow me tonight to you and to all citizens of Macedonia to congratulate the free, sovereign and independent Macedonia!"'' - said the President of the then Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov on the evening of 8 September, addressing the citizens who spontaneously gathered at Macedonia Square in the capital

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

, to celebrate the successful referendum. The people's will for an independent state was confirmed with the Declaration of the referendum results on 18 September 1991, by the first multi-party

Macedonian Parliament The Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia ( mk, Собрание на Република Северна Македонија, sq, Kuvendi i Republikës së Maqedonisë së Veriut), or the Sobranie ( mk, Собрание, "Assembly"), is t ...

. Finally, on 25 September 1991, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Macedonian Parliament. Next, the new

Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia The Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia is a codified constitution outlining North Macedonia's system of government and basic human rights. It was adopted in the Parliament of the then-Republic of Macedonia on 17 November 1991. In 20 ...

was adopted on 17 November 1991. Due to Greek opposition to a new state containing the term 'Macedonia', the sovereign status of the state was not recognized until 8 April 1993, with an acclamation of the UN General Assembly, when

Republic of Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

was admitted as 181st full-fledged member in the world organisation under the provisional reference ''the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia''.

Celebration

Independence Day as a national holiday is a non-working day in

. The

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

and the Government of North Macedonia are organizing various festivities. The President traditionally awards the Order 8-September. People traditionally go to picnics in famous picnic places. The

Macedonian Olympic Committee The Olympic Committee of North Macedonia ( mk, Олимписки комитет на Северна Македонија) is the National Olympic Committee of North Macedonia. Members of the committee are 26 sports federations, which elect the Ex ...

organizes sports picnics, while the

Motorcycle Federation of North Macedonia A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

organizes the International Motorcycle Rally "Macedonia 2008" in

. All Macedonian embassies, consulates and representative offices organize cocktails and festivities in the countries where they are located.

References

{{reflist September observances Public holidays in North Macedonia Macedonia Observances in North Macedonia