Metropolitan Palaion Patron Germanos raising the flag of the revolution in the Agia Lavra Monastery and blessing the beginning of the Greek uprising on March 25, 1821. By Theodoros Vryzakis (1865)

This year marks the 200-year anniversary of the Greek War of Independence which led to the establishment of the Modern Greek state. Celebrated on March 25th as a National holiday, the Greek Revolution, as it’s commonly known, constitutes an integral part of the Greek national identity and historical memory, and forms a pivotal chapter in both the country’s and Europe’s history.

Starting in 1821 with sporadic revolts against the ruling Ottoman Empire in the Peloponnese, the skirmishes soon escalated into a full-blown, nation-wide independence struggle inspired by the ideology of the Enlightenment and the principles of Romanticism.

After drawing in the Great Powers – Great Britain, France, and Russia, whose intervention was decisive in the conflict’s outcome – the drawn-out war finally came to an end in 1832 with Greece being recognized as an independent nation.

As Europe’s first successful revolution in the 19th century, it instigated a continent-wide drive for national independence and foreshadowed the nationalist uprisings that ultimately shaped modern-day Europe.

Although 2020 March 25 military parade celebrating the Greek Revolution was cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic, the parade will take place under strict safety measures in 2021, on the 200th anniversary of the historic occasion.

Representatives and world leaders from across the globe, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Prince of Wales Charles, Russian Federation Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, have been invited to the military parade.

the full 1821 celebration program

On Thursday, Greek Independence Day, internationally acclaimed soprano Anastasia Zannis will sing the national anthem as the Greek flag is hoisted at the Acropolis site at 08:00.

A liturgy will follow at Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens at 08:30, before a wreath-laying ceremony at the Unknown Soldier Monument at Syntagma Square at 09:20.

The military parade will begin at 10:00, in the presence of political, military leaders and visiting guests.

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