Hellenism and Greeks around the world celebrated on Monday, as March 25 marks the major Christian Orthodox holiday of the Feast of the Annunciation as well as the annual commemoration of the beginning of the Greek War of Independence in 1821 from the Ottoman empire.
In the Greek capital, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos II, officiated at the Divine Liturgy and a celebratory thanksgiving service on Monday morning at the Athens Metropolitan Cathedral, in the presence of Greek President of the Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Church hierarchs, representatives of other Church dogmas, political leaders, Parliament deputies, foreign diplomats and high-ranking military and law enforcement officers.
Videos of today’s celebratory Church service and a military parade through central Athens are posted on the Orthodoxia news agency’s web pages.
In the northern city of Thessaloniki, the thanksgiving service and the Divine Liturgy of the Feast of the Annunciation was held at the city’s main Metropolitan Cathedral, St. Sophia, officiated by the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, His Eminence Anthinos.
The celebratory service was concluded with the singing of the Greek national anthem and the martial march “Famous Macedonia” (Makedonia Xakousti).
A video is also available of the Thessaloniki service.
Outside of Greece, ethnic Greek communities around the world observed both the religious principal feast and the national uprising.
Indicatively, the ethnic Greek community in Cairo, Egypt organized a pupils’ parade in the center of the metropolis.
In Wales, Greek expatriates also honored the twin commemorations, with pupils at the St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in attendance at the thanksgiving service.
In far-off Australia, a significant overseas center of Hellenism, numerous ethnic Greek communities held events, celebrations and commemorations.
Videos from the three different geographic regions are available today on the Orthodoxia news agency.