March 25th 2023
In 1814 a secret organization called the Filiki Eteria (Society of Friends) was founded to liberate Greece. The insurrection was supposed to start on March 25th of 1821, the day of the Annunciation. Unfortunately, the plans were discovered and the Filiki Eteria was forced to start earlier. The revolution began on February 21st of 1821 and ended successfully, with the help of France, Great Britain, and Russia, in 1830. On February 3rd of the same year, the London Protocol was signed, which was the first official, international diplomatic act recognizing Greece as a sovereign and independent state, with all the rights.
Since then, Greeks all over the world celebrate the start of the revolution, along with the celebration of the Announcement on March 25 of each year. In this article, I am going to show you, how the day affected me and what I experienced on this holiday.
The anticipation started already weeks before. In school, the students prepared a play and practiced marching. I helped them with technology such as sound, lights, and background presentation. The play took place one day before because it was in the kindergarten and the official holiday was on a Saturday. In the play, the students of the sixth grade taught the younger students and their parents the reason for the celebration.
On the 25th of March, we went to a little place, approximately two kilometers away from our hours, where the march took place. Not only all the students and their families of the schools from Vrontados were there, but everyone who lives there. The whole street was surrounded by people. Luckily the weather was great. Punctually at 11:30, the kids including students, sports groups, and scouts started marching. There was even a music group marching and playing for the entire time. Every time a group came by, the people clapped and cheered for them.
We were almost at the end of the marching street, where also everyone met and congratulated the students. The dance groups performed traditional dances, some even with costumes.
After the whole celebration in Vrontados, we took a taxi to Chios City, where a lot bigger march took place. Unfortunately, we only saw the last few minutes, when the military marched past us.
Since we in Germany do not have parades like that, it was completely new to me and has made various impressions on me. The first thing, that I realized is, that the celebration is very important for the Greeks. The preparations started a long time ago and everything had to be perfect, which is, what it ended up being. They also attach great importance to passing on the history of the revolution. But let’s get to the parade itself. The parade in Vrontados was a lot smaller than in Chios City. Kids at the age of six years old were marching. Because of the history , you won’t find something like that in Germany. But when I was talking with my teachers about marching, I realized, that this is not only tradition but also the Greeks have something to be proud of with the revolution.
I think it is fair to say, that I learned a lot on this day. Not only about the revolution but also about the people and their culture. It was a great day, where everyone enjoyed the company of the people around him.
I hope I was able to give you a small impression, of what a celebration on Chios Island looks like. However, to understand my impressions, you have to experience them yourself.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_War_of_Independence
22.05.2023
