Celebrating Our National Pride

March 25th, 1821! Freedom or Death!! These words have and will forever reverberate in the hearts, minds, and souls of us all, especially the families of that epoch who lost loved ones during the war. There is something special about the yearly celebrations of these events that attempt to transport us back in time and put us in the frame of minds of those heroes and heroines. We must never forget what our forefathers experienced during those difficult and tragic times and must be grateful to be able to visit and enjoy a free Greece to be able to explore our heritage and our roots. 

The brave men and women will forever be honoured for generations to come for having shaped Greece and for the freedom that we all are now enjoying when we visit the motherland. 400 years of Ottoman rule never broke the Greek people, always maintaining their faith, their language and culture. It is up to the next generation of Greeks to carry this flame forward and assure that our faith, language, and culture will be safeguarded and passed on to the next. True pride and conviction will ensure this transition, and good will always prevail over evil.

Present-day conflict and tragedy have struck a democratic nation in Eastern Europe. The situation in Ukraine is very sad and concerning as it might bring the world to a war that no one wants to imagine or live through. Just as with the Revolution of 1821, the Ukrainian people stand tall and remain in their country to defend what is rightfully theirs. History will judge the atrocities that will occur but will also highlight the bravery of this nation that is not letting go and aims to protect and preserve its culture, its language…its heritage.

It is time once again, after exactly two years to the week, that the pandemic wreaked havoc in all of our lives, to celebrate the March 25th festivities as we all knew prior to COVID-19. Our children and grandchildren will soon get out and demonstrate their pride while marching down the street, flags waving in the air and heads held high to celebrate and exclaim: ZHTO!!

Long live the heroes of 1821! Long live Greece! Long live the Greeks of the Diaspora!

ZHTO 25th of March 1821!

Andreas Crilis
HCGM President