Yiasas filarakia (hello friends)! Ready for a Greek history lesson? Well, sit back, relax and get ready to learn some stuff that might not help you in everyday life, but could help you if you ever end up on Jeopardy! one day. Like many other kids that come from different cultural backgrounds, I grew knowing history that my books in school didn’t teach me, and Greek Independence Day was a day I always looked forward to.

For many people, March 25^th might not mean much, but for Greeks all over the world, it’s cause for celebration, as it marks our independence from Ottoman rule. Growing up in NYC, March 25^th was a big deal. My church would prepare for the Greek Independence Day Parade that happens on 5^th Avenue every year, and my friends and I would figure out what we were going to wear for the day. Even to this day, I always make sure that I have some sort of blue and white on to commemorate the Greek flag and to celebrate the day. If the day ever fell on a Sunday, my Sunday school and I would leave our classrooms and head to the church and sing the Greek national anthem loud and proud. From a young age, pride was instilled in us for a country that we weren’t born in but which lived in us.

It’s known that some Greeks and Turks have an animosity for each other, which is still true to this day, as both nations are still under a lot of conflict. But the issues between these two countries are nothing new. For 400 years, the Ottoman Empire, now present-day Turkey, had taken control of Greece, starting in 1453. From the start, attempts were made to overthrow the Ottoman rule, but they were ultimately unsuccessful. However, on March 25, 1821, Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the Greek flag at Agia Lavras. Later, the Peloponnese declared war on the Ottomans.

Under the Greek general, Teodoros Kolokotronis, a Navy was created and they trained anyone who wanted to fight for Greek independence. Eventually, France, Russia, the UK, and Haiti threw in their support for an autonomous Greek nation. In 1832, Greece was finally recognized as an independent state. In 1823, our national anthem was written by Dionysios Solom, and in 1865 it became our official national anthem. If you’ve ever watched the Olympics then the tune might sound familiar as it is played after every closing ceremony.

Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν by Dionysios Solomos:

Σε γνωρίζω από την κόψη
του σπαθιού την τρομερή,
σε γνωρίζω από την όψη
που με βια μετράει την γη.
Απ’ τα κόκκαλα βγαλμένη
των Ελλήνων τα ιερά,
και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη,
χαίρε, ω χαίρε, Ελευθεριά

Translation: Hymn to Liberty

I recognize you by the fearsome sharpness,

Of your sword,

I recognize you by your face

That violently defines the land

From the sacred bones,

Of the Hellenes arisen

And valiant again as you once were

Hail, o hail, Liberty!

The love and pride I have for Greece, the Greek people and my family is something that I can’t describe. Ζήτω η Ελλάδα, Ζήτω 25 Μαρτίου 1821!