Greek Independence Day

Greek Independence Day

▪ Greek holiday
      national holiday celebrated annually in Greece on March 25, commemorating the start of the War of Greek Independence (Greek Independence, War of) in 1821. It coincides with the Greek Orthodox Church's celebration of the Annunciation to the Theotokos, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would bear the son of God.

      Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1453. The Greek revolt was precipitated on March 25, 1821, when Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the flag of revolution over the Monastery of Agia Lavra in the Peloponnese. The cry “Freedom or Death” became the motto of the revolution. The Greeks experienced early successes on the battlefield, including the capture of Athens in June 1822, but infighting ensued. By 1827 Athens and most of the Greek isles had been recaptured by the Turks.

      Just as the revolution appeared to be on the verge of failure, Great Britain, France, and Russia intervened in the conflict. The Greek struggle had elicited strong sympathy in Europe, and many leading intellectuals had promoted the Greek cause, including the English poet Lord Byron. At the naval Battle of Navarino, the combined British, French, and Russian forces destroyed an Ottoman-Egyptian fleet. The revolution ended in 1829 when the Treaty of Edirne established an independent Greek state.

      In celebration of Greek Independence Day, towns and villages throughout Greece hold a school flag parade, during which schoolchildren march in traditional Greek costumes and carry Greek flags. There is also an armed forces parade in Athens.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Independence Day (Republic of Macedonia) — The Independence Day (Macedonian: Ден на независноста, Den na nezavisnosta) in the Republic of Macedonia is celebrated on 8 September. It has been a national holiday since 1991, when a Referendum for Independence took place. The Republic of… …   Wikipedia

  • independence — /in di pen deuhns/, n. 1. Also, independency. the state or quality of being independent. 2. freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others. 3. Archaic. a competency. [1630 40; INDEPEND(ENT) + ENCE] Syn. 1. See freedom.… …   Universalium

  • Independence — /in di pen deuhns/, n. 1. a city in W Missouri: starting point of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails. 111,806. 2. a town in SE Kansas. 10,598. * * * I City (pop., 2000: 113,288), western Missouri, U.S. Settled in 1827, it served as the starting point …   Universalium

  • Greek Church — • Details the history and various divisions of the church Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Greek Church     Greek Church     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Greek temple — Greek temples (Ancient Greek: polytonic|ὁ ναός , gr. ho naós dwelling , semantically distinct from Latin la. templum temple ) were structures built to house the cult statues within Greek sanctuaries. The temples themselves did usually not… …   Wikipedia

  • Greek Catholics in America — • Includes the history and statistics Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Greek Catholics in America     Greek Catholics in America      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Greek refugees — is a collective term used to refer to the Greeks from Asia Minor who were evacuated or relocated in Greece following the Treaty of Lausanne and the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Although the term has been used in various times to …   Wikipedia

  • Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch — Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East Coat of arms Founder Apostle Peter Independence …   Wikipedia

  • Greek language — Greek Ελληνικά Ellīniká Pronunciation [eliniˈka] Spoken in Greece, Cyprus …   Wikipedia

  • Greek literature — Introduction       body of writings in the Greek language, with a continuous history extending from the 1st millennium BC to the present day. From the beginning its writers were Greeks living not only in Greece proper but also in Asia Minor, the… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”