New York celebrates 25th March with Grand Parade

The parade began at 1:30 p.m. under the auspices of the Federation of Greek Societies of Greater New York, with Lou Katsos as this year’s president, Yannis Stroumpakis, George Paralemos, George Venizelos and George Meintasi as vice presidents, Georgia Kontzamani as executive director, and Stavros Papagermanos as administrative support manager.

The grand masters of ceremonies for this year’s parade were businessman John Katsimatidis and shipowner Nicholas Tsakos, while the Hellenic Initiative and Capital Link of Nicholas and Olga Bornozi were honored as organizational masters of ceremonies. The honorary masters of ceremonies were Metropolitan Ieronymos of Kalavryta and the political commander of Mount Athos, General R.E. Alkiviadis Stefanis.

The parade was opened by the New York City Police Mounted Guard, followed by the banner of the Federation and the flags of Greece and the United States, as well as by historical banners of the Greek Revolution, including those of Kalavryta, Kalamata, Mani, the Exodus of Messolonghi, Crete, Pontus and Rigas Feraios. Representatives of the governments of the United States, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, as well as official guests, participated in the same unit.

The presence of the Evzones of the Presidential Guard, who with the click of the nails of their tsarouchias, awed the spectators, caused particular emotion. The Evzones paraded proudly, remembering the immortal heroes of '21 and were applauded along the way. Also special was the carrying of the Acropolis flag by excellent students from Greek communities.

Also participating were the Korakiana Philharmonic "Spyros Samaras" from Corfu, the Hellenic College of Thessaloniki, a cultural and dance group from Larissa, as well as a delegation from the Region of Western Greece.

The main part of the parade was attended by dozens of floats and representatives of Greek Orthodox parishes, communities and organizations, including the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the Academy of St. Basil, the Church of St. Nicholas at Ground Zero, the Pancyprian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Federation of American Cypriot Organizations FCAO, the American Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, the Pancyprian Association of America, AHEPA, the Pan-Arcadian Federation, the Cretan organizations of New York and New Jersey, the Hellenic Medical Association, the Hellenic Lawyers Association and the Association of Greek Professional Women.

Dozens of historical and local associations also attended, such as the Pontians, the Chians, the Macedonians, the Epirotes, the Laconians, the Dodecanese, the Messinians, the Thracians, the Samians and the Corfiots, as well as Greek schools, student and alumni organizations from universities in North America. There was a large participation of young people, with university associations and student clubs providing a strong "presence".

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Χιλιάδες ομογενείς συμμετείχαν στη μεγάλη ελληνική παρέλαση για την 205η επέτειο της Ελληνικής Ανεξαρτησίας που πραγματοποιήθηκε στη Νέα Υόρκη. Ιδιαίτερη συγκίνηση προκάλεσε η παρουσία των Ευζώνων της Προεδρικής Φρουράς, οι οποίοι… pic.twitter.com/hcqSHxnNxj

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Greece was represented by the President of the Parliament Nikitas Kaklamanis, as well as MPs Athanasios Papathanasis from the New Democracy and Giorgos Gavrilos from SYRIZA. The parade was also attended by the Governor of Western Greece, Nektarios Farmakis, the Governor of the Ionian Islands, Ioannis Trepeklis, the Mayor of Lemnos, Eleonora Georgios, and the Mayor of Messolonghi, Spyridon Diamantopoulos.

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs was represented by the Ambassador of Greece in Washington, Antonis Alexandridis, the Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN, Ambassador Aglaia Balta, and the Consul General of Greece in New York, Ambassador Ifigenia Kanara.

The Republic of Cyprus was represented by the Acting Head of the Embassy in Washington, Myrianthi Spathi, and the Consul General in New York, Kyriakos Pogiatzis.

The parade was presented by Dimitris A. Filios, Dimitris Filippidis, Michael Stratis and Marianna Apostolato.

The presence of security forces and public services was also significant, including the ceremonial band of the New York Police Department, representatives of the Fire Department, the Department of Corrections, the Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Customs and Border Protection Service.

Spectators along 5th Avenue applauded incessantly every part of the procession, in a successful parade that combined for another year historical memory, ecclesiastical presence, collective organization and a strong message of preserving Greek identity among the younger generations of the diaspora.

Earlier, at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan, the official celebratory doxology, dance in the presence of the Archbishop of America, Elpidophoros.

"We are here to make a promise, all together, that of course we are fighting for democracy and peace throughout the world, but if necessary we make a promise under the gaze of the Virgin Mary who looks down on us from above, that we will do the same as our ancestors, even sacrificing our lives, in order to defend the freedom, independence and territorial integrity of our homeland. Happy Birthday Greece, Happy Birthday Cyprus" said the President of the Parliament Nikitas Kaklamanis after the end of the eulogy.

The eulogy was also attended by the Mayor of New York, Zoran Mamdani, who in his speech emphasized that "the history of New York cannot be told without the Greek Americans".

"Independence is no small thing. It is a triumph over adversity, a rejection of oppression, a testimony of small acts of solidarity that, year after year, developed into a movement. It is not something that is given. It is something that is conquered. In every version of it, wherever it was achieved — in Greece, in the United States, throughout the world — the work of independence was the work of the people," said Mr. Mamdani.