GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS
The military parade marking the anniversary of March 25, the Greek Independence Day, has concluded in downtown Athens.
Festivities are currently underway with traditional dances, music and high spirits, despite the rainy weather.
President of Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos attended the parade along with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Parliament Speaker Zoi Konstantopoulou and ND leader Antonis Samaras.
This year’s March 25 festivities marking Greek Independence Day and the Feast of the Annunciation are different to what Greeks are used to. The ‘alternative’ festivities resemble a Balkan feast with a number of parallel events that include Greek traditional songs and dances in downtown Syntagma.
Cyprus marks Greek National Day with island-wide celebrations
Cyprus celebrated on Wednesday the Greek National Day, with religious services and pupils` parades in all major cities throughout the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus.
Celebrations in the capital, Nicosia, centered around the Panayia Phaneromeni Church, in the old part of the town, where a commemoration service was attended in the morning by the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, the President of the House Yiannakis Omirou and representatives of political parties, of the military leadership and of the Greek Embassy.
The service to commemorate the begin of the Greek independence struggle, in 1821, was officiated by Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus, while MEP Costas Mavrides has addressed the panegyric of the Day.
Later on, President Anastasiades attended the pupils` parade, in front of the Embassy of Greece, in Nicosia, and afterwards he addressed a reception, hosted by the Greek Embassy to honor the Day.
Similar celebrations were also held in Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and other smaller towns.
Article written by PROTOTHEMA/CNA
