Raotince

Raotince (Ra-o-teen-tse, aka Rotince) Village located about 10mi (14km) northeast from the Macedonian city of Tetovo.

History

The village of Raotince is one of the oldest in the Polog Valley. It is believed to be settled some time around the early 1700s. Most of the people that settled the village came from other villages in the area surrounding the Polog Valley and from villages high in the Šar Mountains. The settlers that came to the village saw Raotince as an important area, because of it's quick access of the Vardar River, which runs threw the village.

When Macedonia fell under Serbian rule in 1913, most people in Raotince, along with the rest of Macedonia were forced to change their last names. The common Macedonian last names end with "ski," "ov," or "ev." The Macedonians were forced to change the endings of their last names to end with the common Serbian ending of "ic." During WWII, Raotince as occupied by Bulgarian forces, who nicknamed the village "Malka Sofija" or "Little Sofia." The village was disproportionately represented in the Yugoslav Partisans, an indication of discontent over Serbian royal rule.

The people of Raotince are known in the Polog Valley as being patriotic Macedonians. The village is one of the many villages in Macedonia to have St. Ilija as the patron saint. The saint's day is celebrated on Augest 2, and it is the same day that the Ilinden Uprising of 1903. One of the most well known person in the whole Tetovo area comes from Raotince. Radic Muto was born and raised in Raotince. He is known all over Tetovo for his jokes, antics, and general smart-aleckyness. At one point in his life he tricked his blind father in sticking his hand up a horses derriere.