KUTLESH STAR (VERGINA SUN) - THE SYMBOL OF MACEDONIANS

The Star of Kutlesh

The Kutlesh star is the name of the symbol of the Macedonians. It is a 16-pointed sun and a century-old symbol of the Macedonian people, country and culture. In 1977, in the village of Kutlesh (Greek name Vergina) in the Aegean part of Macedonia (today in Greece), it was unearthed in an archaeological site and by the name of the village Kutlesh, today it is called the Kutlesh star or Vergina star.


In the grave where the Kutlesh star was discovered, was found a golden plate with engraved sun. Today the found plaque is stored in the museum in Kutlesh, Aegean Macedonia. The star was used during the Kingdom of Macedonia and in the Republic of Macedonia's flag from 1991 to 1995, when the flag was changed violently with the present Macedonian flag. Today's Macedonian national flag is an abbreviated stylized version of the Kutlesh Star, with eight edges instead of sixteen.

Interpretation of the symbol
The significance of the symbol is not completely clarified today. In the archaeological circles, there are several assumptions as to whether the symbol was an official symbol of the Kingdom of Macedonia, whether it was merely a symbol of the military or simply represented an ornamental landmark. It is thought that Macedonian king Phillip II had this symbol on his shield.


Use of the symbol

The symbol has always been used to mark and highlight the Macedonian identity. Over the centuries, the Macedonian people always used the symbol in their daily lives and activities. The significance of the symbol for the Macedonian people is also witnessed by a large number of icons in which 16 stars are drawn or in a more simplified version - an eight-pointed star.

Today's use
Today, the symbol is used by almost all Macedonian associations in the diaspora, the Macedonian municipality of Pustec in Albania, numerous organizations in Macedonia and was the state flag of Macedonia from 1991 to 1995.



On the other hand, Greece artificially embraces it as their symbol by the fact that Belomorsk Macedonia as a province has the same flag, but with a blue background.
"The sun from Kutlesh is not a Greek symbol, except that it is accidentally found in today's Greek territory."