Greek Independence Day in Australia 

Greek folk and everyone who’s captivated by the festive spirit are celebrating Greek Independence Day on March 25. Events and parades are organized everywhere, from London to Melbourne, honouring this special day; but the biggest parade will be in New York City! Wherever you’re at, you won’t want to miss out.

Greece has an impressive migration rate, hence the global fanfare. Until the 1820s Greeks mostly immigrated to other European countries, mostly for political reasons. After Greek independence the reasons for departure became more economical; most people leaving Greece in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries went to the United States, Egypt, Australia, South America, or South Africa.

In Australia today there are almost 700.000 people who have Greek ancestry. The Greek language  is the second most spoken language in Australia after English, followed by Chinese and Italian. This makes for a large population in the mood for a party. So across our nation, as in Greece, this day is a very important one for the Hellenic communities. It is a day of getting the people of Greece together, hearts dancing in the same rhythm, and forks and knives poised with great traditional food.

The biggest event last year was a large-scale celebration in honour of Greece’s independence organized by the Inter-Communities Council of NSW of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. What about this year? In the biggest cities, with larger Greek populations, parades in honor of Greek Independence Day and their traditions will be held.

Celebrating Greek Style

So what is happening on this most amazing day of days? Well if you are in Greece you will be experiencing a school flag parade which will be held in every town and village or the big armed forces parade in Athens, the capital of Greece.  The President of Greece, Karolos Papoulias and the Prime Minister, George Papandreou will be attending this big event while in the Orthodox Cathedral of Athens the Archbishop is performed a Te Deum which is attended by the political and military leadership of the country to worship this important day.

Throughout the country celebrations are filling the streets, churches and homes. Streets are blockaded from military bands, dignitaries and spectators. Regular Life, travel and work comes to a standstill. Marching bands in traditional Greek military uniforms and brightly costumed traditional dancers move through the streets while vendors serve up spanikopita, roasted honeyed almonds, barbequed meat, baklava and lemonade to the flag waving crowds.
Also the children get involved and dressed in new, fancy clothes and the house is cleaned and sparkling. Feasts and parties are held in honor of religious and secular events.

Historic Notes on Why We’re Celebrating

Since 1829 the 25th of March has been declared Greek Independence Day. It took the Greeks eight years of war to rise up against 400 years of Ottoman Turk occupation and oppression. The Turkish occupancy originated in 1453 with the fall of Constantinople which, for the less informed in history, is the current Istanbul. In the dark years of occupation attending the church was forbidden and passing on Greek culture, language and history to the children was heresy -murder and tortured as punishment was rampant.  With that shroud lifted, you imagine the kind of celebration that hit the streets, hence the importance of carrying it on today.

But there is more. The 25th of March is, for the Greeks, not just a national festivity of independence, but also a very important religious celebration. It is actually one of the holiest days for the Greek Orthodox Christians. This is the day where Archangel Gabriel announced to Mother Mary that she was bearing a child, Jesus.

Greek Flag Facts

It is believed that the nine lines of the flag reflects the number of syllables in the Greek phrase "Eleftheria i Thanatos" = Freedom or Death, which was the motto during the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire.

The line pattern was chosen because of their similarity with the wavy sea that surrounds the shores of Greece. The interchange of blue and white colors makes the Hellenic Flag on a windy day to look like the Aegean Sea. The Greek Square Cross that rests on the upper left-side of the flag demonstrates the respect and the devotion that Greek people have for the Greek Orthodox Church and signifies the important role of Christianity in the formation of the modern Hellenic Nation.

During the dark years of the Ottoman rule, the Greek Orthodox Church helped the enslaved Greeks to retain their cultural characteristics: the Greek language, the Byzantine religion and generally the Greek ethnic identity. Today, Christianity is still the dominant religion among Greeks. Therefore the existence of the Cross is justified.

A Tribute to Lord Byron

Did you know Lord Byron died while fighting for Greek independence? This poem honours the famous poet and liberal revolutionary Lord George Gordon Noel Byron who died at Missolonghi while fighting in the rebellious areas from December 1823 until 7 April 1824. Lord Byron was known among the Greeks as 'Mylord'.

For a moment, Liberty,
Let the war, the bloodshed sleep;
Hither come and silently
Over Byron's body weep.
Dionysios Solomos, Ode on the Death of Lord Byron

Knowing more about Greek history and culture infuses an uplifting vibe as we head into March and come to celebrate Greek Independence Day on the 25th.  If you aren’t already aware of something going on in your community, ask around?  You’re likely to happen upon a cultural event and some specials in your area so enjoy.

Written by AGFG contributing writer Birgit Kunzli