March 25th is the national day of Greece

We spoke to KTL Senior Project Manager Ioannis Arvanitakis about his role at KTL and what the day means to him as a proud Greek national.

“Collaboration and teamwork are core values in KTL’s culture. I enjoy working together with great people to deliver successful projects and achieve our common goals.”

Greece’s national day marks the anniversary of the beginning of the country’s revolution against the Ottoman empire, which ruled Greece for over 400 years.

The uprising resulted in Greece regaining its freedom and becoming an autonomous and sovereign country.

“Freedom or Death – the moto of the revolution - combined with the 1823 poem and future national anthem “Hymn to Liberty” symbolise the resolve of the people of Greece against tyranny and oppression. 2021 is very special as it marks the 200th anniversary from the revolution.”

The largest celebration of the occasion takes place In Athens where an annual military parade commemorates the revolution.

“People decorate their front doors, windows or balconies with Greek flags to celebrate the day. School parades take place in villages, towns, and cities across the country and diaspora centres all over the world.”

The Greeks are mainly meat loving people but unfortunately the national day falls within the Easter lent. March 25 is also the day of the Annunciation on the Christian Orthodox calendar and people are allowed to break their fast and eat fish. The traditional meal for the day is Bakaliaros Skordalia (Cod with garlic potato dip). “There was a time before people had a fridge in their houses, where fresh fish couldn’t be easily sourced in the mainland. As Cod is a fish that can be salted and preserved, it became a tradition to eat cod on the National Day.”

3 Interesting Greek Facts

1. Besides birthdays, Greeks also celebrate their names. Your name day would be the day that the Orthodox church celebrates the saint that you are named after.

2. It’s not all about summer in Greece. With over 40 mountain ranges that exceed 2000m, you can spend a perfect autumn or winter holiday in a picturesque village on a Greek mountain. Between ski resorts, alpine clubs and mountaineering, there are plenty of fun activities to keep you busy.

3. Ancient Greeks had two different conceptions of time; Chronos and Kairos. Chronos denotes the more orthodox chronological interpretation of time as we know it today. Kairos implies a proper or opportune time for action; the right time to do something. In contrast to Chronos, which is quantitative, Kairos has a qualitative nature.

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