KILLING OF THE ELDERLY: THE MACEDONIAN CUSTOM “SLAUGHTER OF THE OLD MEN”

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of killing of elderly people,

a custom commonly referred to as “slaughtering the elderly” in Macedonia.

Examples of this myth are registered across various regions of Macedonia,

including Ohrid, Bitola, Prilep, Veles, Skopje and the surrounding areas,

Dojran, the surroundings of Kratovo, Negotino, Debar, Drimkol, and the

expansive hilly-mountainous regions of Maleshevo and Mariovo. The

motivations behind senicide were numerous. It was commonly thought that

during times of famine, killing of the elderly was a means of conserving scarce

food resources. In addition, senicide occurred as a result of land confiscation,

where the property or cultivation rights of the elderly were transferred to their

younger generations. In some cases, these killing were considered an act of

mercy, especially when an individual suffered from an incurable disease, or

faced the challenges of old age, when people could not meet even their most

basic biological needs, thus becoming a burden to the family or the community.

The traumatic experience of sons killing their fathers, according to traditions,

led to the abandonment of this brutal custom.