A great day for all the Greeks all over the world!
Grateful Hellas (1858) – Theodoros Vryzakis
The 25th of March is a day with multiple significance, celebrated in Greece with grandeur for more than a century:
- It is one of the biggest religious holidays for the Greek Orthodox Church, as, on this day, we celebrate the Annunciation, “Evangelismos tis Theotokou” in Greek. Many Greeks are given the name Evangelos (male) or Evangelia (female) after the Annunciation. Since it is accustomed in Greece, the grandchildren to be named after their grandparents and the name day is considered as important or even, more important than the birthday, huge celebrations take place on the 25th of March in many families!
- The 25th of March was chosen by the Greeks in 1821, as the day to begin the uprising against the Ottoman Empire, under the rule of which they lived for 400 years, thus, starting the Greek War of Independence.
Theodoros Vryzakis – Bishop Germanos blessing the Greek Banner at Agia Lavra (1852)
Eugène Delacroix – “Greece on the ruins of Missolonghi (1826)
The Uprising of the Greeks was a great struggle against the odds, which finally resulted in the establishment of a new country: Greece!
Many stories and historical facts have been written about the Greek War of Independence and numerous painters, such as Richard Parkes Bonington, Eugène Delacroix, Peter von Hess, Theodoros Vryzakis, Georg Perlberg poets, writers and intellectuals,such as Lord Byron, Andreas Kalvos , Dionysios Solomos (who also wrote the Hymn to Liberty, the National Anthem of Greece), and Victor Hugo, from all over the world chose their art to praise the heroism of the Greeks.
Battle scene from the Greek War of Independence by Georg Perlberg
After the destruction of Psara by Nikolaos Gyzis
Many countries join the Greeks in the celebration of this memorial day!
White House – U.S.A. 2017, New York- U.S.A. 2017, Melbourne- Australia Greek Parade 2017, Montreal- Canada 2017, Sydney – Australia 2017
In Athens, Greece, the celebrations start with the school parade on March 24th and finish with the big military parade in front of the Parliament on March 25th.
The day is a public holiday and all shops and archaeological sites, as well as museums, are closed.
Google’s “doodle” dedicated to the Greek Independence Day 2017