Greece, Greeks celebrate Independence day

Today, Greece and Greeks all over the world celebrate the Greek Independence day; the 25th of March, 1821, during which the struggle of the Greeks against the powerful Ottoman Empire started. The President of the Hellenic Republic, Carolos Papoulias, and the Greek Prime Minister, Costas Karamanlis, attended the great parade of the Armed Forces at the Constitution Square of Athens. Earlier, in the Orthodox Cathedral of Athens, Archbishop Christodoulos performed a Te Deum which was attended by the political and military leadership of the country.

The Greek Independence day was celebrated in all the large cities of Greece, including Thessaloniki, Patras, and Corinth where the local authorities had the opportunity to attend parades of the armed forces and high-school students.

Hellenism across the world celebrates the Independence day as well. From London to Melbourne, Greek communities organized events and parades in honour of March 25, 1821. The big parade in New York City, United States, will be attended by thousands of Greeks and Greek-Americans. The Greek government will be represented by the Secretary of State, Dora Bakoyiannis.