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Greece 2021 celebrations will be organized throughout the country this year. Because 2021 marks the anniversary of 200 years of the Greek Revolution. To honor this special year, the Greece 2021 Committee is in charge of a comprehensive layout of projects and events which will aim at reintroducing Greece, from the beginning of its contemporary history to today, in the course of 200 years. Read on about the Greece 2021 anniversary celebrations.
Greek Revolution of 1821
The Greek Revolution plays a key role in the history of Greece. The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution (in Greek: Ελληνική Επανάσταση, Elliniki Epanastasi) was a successful war of independence waged by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1830. The Greeks were later assisted by Great Britain, France and Russia, while the Ottomans were aided by their North African vassals, particularly the eyalet of Egypt. The war led to the formation of modern Greece. The revolution is celebrated by Greeks around the world as independence day on 25 March.
Historic Places in Greece
Greece is filled with monuments and historic places related to the Greek Revolution. I am so grateful for being able to travel to these places over the past years. During most of these trips, my children came with me. I have listed my travel articles of the most important places related to the Greek Revolution in the links below.
Travel to monuments from the Greek Revolution
- Nafpaktos with Kids (including Messolongi)
- Travel Epirus with Kids (including Ioannina)
- Gialova Messinia Greece Holiday (Battle of Navarino)
- Arkadi in Crete. Symbol of Freedom
- Meteora with Kids
- Nafplion with Kids
Greece 2021 Video for 200 Years of Greek Independence
The “Greece 2021” committee released a video to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence. The soundtrack for the video is the song “May the dances never stop” (As kratisoun oi horoi) by singer-songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos. President of the “Greece 2021” Commitee Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki explains the choice for this song as follows: “We chose this song because it describes our common journey uniquely. In these 200 years, our ‘assembly’ unfolded and evolved. Our ‘bond became denser.’ We fell many times, but we rose again and ‘our friendships continued to write history’. In 2021 we will look ahead. We will merge our ‘longstanding and flaming orbits’ with a bright and hopeful future. Because the journey of the Greeks continues. So, may the dances never stop!”
Greece 2021 Events
Activities timetable
Celebrations and events are planned for Greece 2021 but due to the current corona crises, no announcements have been made. For more information, and more information about the Greek Revolution, you can scroll over to greece2021.gr or stay tuned to this blog. As soon as there will be news, I will update this post.
The Holiday of 25 March
On 25 March, Greece celebrates the national holiday called Independence Day. This day commemorates the start of the Independence War in 1821. Around the country, school flag parades take place as well as a military parade in Athens. You can read everything you need to know about the festivities and celebrations on Greek Independence Day in the post The 25 March Holiday in Greece.
Greek Revolution in the Arts
The Greek Revolution has inspired artists in many countries. Philhellenism, the moral yet above all practical support to the Greek nation, then fighting for independence, which manifested itself in many European countries, found its ideal expression in France. It should be noted that the Enlightenment and the French Revolution appealed to many and drew them to the fighting Greece. Side by side with political and social philhellenism, the Greek ordeals inspired intellectuals, poets and painters. The massacre at Chios, in April 1822, inspired the young romantic artist Eugène Delacroix to create the eponymous monumental painting in the Louvre. Delacroix’s Greece in the ruins of Missolonghi, the depiction of a nation’s holy passion, came in response to another historic event in the War of Independence: the heroic Exodus from Missolonghi, in April 1826.
About the featured photo: Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi is an 1826 oil painting by Delacroix, and now preserved at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux. This painting was inspired by the Third Siege of Missolonghi by the Ottoman forces in 1826, during which many people of the city after the long-time siege (almost a year) decided to attempt a mass breakout to escape famine and epidemics. The attempt resulted in a disaster, with the larger part of the Greeks slain.
