The anniversary of the start of Greek War of Independence, annually celebrated on March 25, this year comes with the east Mediterranean country in a virtual “lockdown”, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Military and pupils’ parades have been cancelled, while strict measures are in-force against non-essential travel and circulation in public.
In a message issued a day before the national holiday, which coincides with the Feast Day of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, Greece’s new president of the republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, referred to the very significant role played by expatriate Hellenism in the creation of the modern Greek state, adding that: “…I am certain that you will stand by the side of Greece, just as we, who reside within the boundaries of the Greek state, are obliged to stand by the side of Greeks everywhere.”