The Panathenaic Stadium and the Arch of Hadrian in central Athens were lit up in green on Monday evening ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, the National Day of Ireland, on March 17.
On the day, hundreds of global landmarks are lit up in green to mark Ireland’s global connections.
The Embassy of Ireland thanked the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Culture and the Civil Aviation Authority, for “this gesture of friendship and solidarity”.
The move came after the Greek Olympic Committee, the Culture Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority approved a request by the Embassy of Ireland to light up the ancient Stadium on March 16 and 17.
Greece and Ireland established diplomatic relations in 1975.
What is St Patrick’s Day?
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century.
The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon.
Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast–on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
The Oscar nominations 2021 for the 93rd Academy Awards were announced on March 15th, 2021 and two Greeks are among the nominees.
Director of Photography Phedon Papamichael was nominated for Best Cinematography award for his work in“The Trial of The Chicago 7” and Yorgos Lamprinos for Best Film Editing for “The Father”.
The legacy of The Chicago 7 lives on. Thank you to @TheAcademy for 6 Academy Award nominations — including BEST PICTURE and BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Aaron Sorkin. #Oscarspic.twitter.com/DV0pLHPDXn
— The Trial of the Chicago 7 (@trialofchicago7) March 15, 2021
Seventy women received a total 76 nominations, according to the Academy, a record for a given year.
Two women, Emerald Fennell and Chloé Zhao, were nominated in the directing category in the same year for the first time. Zhao is the first woman of color to be nominated in the category.
“Mank,” Netflix’s black and white drama about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz’s development of the screenplay for the legendary film “Citizen Kane,” led among the nominated films with 10 nods.
In light of the discussion around diversity and the Oscars, it is notable that three Black men, Leslie Odom Jr. for “One Night in Miami” and Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” were all nominated in the best supporting actor category.
Husband and wife stars Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas announced the nominations live from London. This year’s ceremony was delayed due to the pandemic and is set to air Sunday, April 25.
Greece and Turkey completed another round of exploratory talks in Athens on Tuesday, seeking common ground on a long-standing maritime boundaries dispute before a European Union summit later this month.
The four-hour discussions of the 62nd round were held in a central hotel.
The Greek delegation comprised seasoned diplomats Ambassador (ad hon.) Pavlos Apostolidis and Ambassador Alexandros Kougiou, as well as Ifigenia Kanara, director of the general secretary’s office of the Foreign Ministry.
The Turkish side was made up of Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sedat Onal, Director General for Bilateral Political & Maritime-Aviation-Border Affairs Cagatay Erciyes and Maritime Aviation Border Deputy General Manager Baris Kalkavan.
The two neighboring NATO allies are at odds over issues such as competing claims over their respective continental shelves, maritime rights and air space in the Mediterranean, energy, ethnically split Cyprus, and the status of some islands in the Aegean.
Underlining the tensions, Turkey this week protested against a deal between Greece, Israel and Cyprus for an undersea cable linking their electricity grids. According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, Ankara believes the planned route for the cable runs through Turkey’s continental shelf.
The exploratory talks are meant to lay the ground for formal negotiations but the two countries have made little progress in more than 60 rounds of meetings since 2002 and cannot even agree on what issues to discuss.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said he was willing to meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu but any meeting “must take place in the right atmosphere.”
Ending a five-year hiatus, officials met in January after months of tension in the eastern Mediterranean. Diplomatic sources said another round of talks had resumed in a central Athens hotel on Tuesday, however no details have been given on the substance of the meetings.
Athens has said it will discuss only the demarcation of exclusive economic zones and the continental shelf in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean, not issues of “national sovereignty.”
Ankara, which hopes to improve its relations with the European Union, which has supported EU-member Greece and threatened sanctions on Turkey, has said it wants all issues, including air space and the Aegean islands, on the table. The deliberations are scheduled to end with political consultations between the two countries’ ambassadors on Wednesday.
European leaders are expected to discuss the eastern Mediterranean at a meeting on March 25-26.
Greece, which in recent years has reached maritime accords with Italy and Egypt, argues that if the two sides fail to agree, they should refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice.
On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence the Greek Museum of Adelaide is launching two exhibitions.
The first exhibition, is set to be held at the South Australian Parliamentary Library from March 22 to April 15, 2021 and the second in July at the West Torrens Auditorium.
“The Museum’s first exhibition is an initiative of the South Australian Parliamentary Friends of Greece and Cyprus in collaboration with the South Australian Parliament Library.
“To Greek people, the Parliament is a state institution which functions as a temple of learning and culture. This is what the Greek Museum of Adelaide is aiming to do as well. To maintain, promote and preserve the culture and encourage younger generations of Greeks and non-Greeks alike and to help them engage with this part of Australia’s cultural heritage,” Greek Museum of Adelaide President, Chrysoula Melissinakis, told The Greek Herald.
Within the first two years of its establishment, the Museum has already organised four exhibitions, in West Torrens and Flambouro Hall in 2019 and at Semaphore Greek Festival and Flambouro Hall in 2020, with a vision to expand its operations in the near future.
The exhibits consist of family heirlooms from first- and second-generation Greek migrants in Australia kindly donated to the museum as well as pieces of art from artists in Greece.
“One of our goals is to pass-on the love for our roots and culture to future generations and this is the reason we encourage schools to visit the exhibitions,” said Mrs Melissinaki noting the problems faced by the Museum.
“The fact is that as non-for-profit organisation the Museum has no state or other funding and we only rely on the support of members and donors. Although our financial resources are limited and the lack of a dedicated building is a very important issue that is yet to be solved, we will continue to support this important cultural project we initiated,” said the Museum’s President.
*The Exhibition at the South Australian Parliamentary Library will be held from Monday, March 22 until Thursday, April 15. Public tours are available at 10am and 2pm on non-sitting weekdays for walk in visitors. For more information and details on tours contact the Greek Museum of Adelaide on FB: Greek Museum of Adelaide or text/call Chrysoula on 0457 456 339.
The 73rd commemoration of the Dodecanese islands reunification to Greece (Mitera Ellada), along with celebrating 200 years of Hellenism, took place on Saturday, March 13 at Diagoras – The Rhodian Brotherhood’s newly renovated space in Straker Street, North Melbourne.
It was evident on the night that attention to detail had gone into creating an atmosphere of Greek symbolism and pride, from the olive branches resting on each dinner plate, tied with rustic twine and a small toothpick Greek flag, to the table centrepieces which proudly displayed each island’s flag.
L: Maria Vamvakinou MP attended the event. R: Michael Panormitis Pakakis AM was awarded by new Consul General in Melbourne, Mr Emmanuel Kakavelakis. Photos supplied.
The Dodecanesian Federation of Australia Inc. (DFA) celebrated this special binary event by welcoming the newly appointed Consul General, Mr Emmanuel Kakavelakis, along with Maria Vamvakinou MP and one of their own, Michael Panormitis Pakakis (born in Rhodes), who in January, received the AM Award – Order Of Australia for his ongoing brilliant work in the field of STEM education.
The 200 years of struggle for Greek Independence and the role of the Dodecanese over the centuries, formed part of the Consul General’s speech along with Mr John Pandazopoulos, Ms Maria Vamvakinou MP and the President of the DFA, Monique Angelides.
(L) Messages from the Dodecanese islands. (R) Christos Attipa received the annual VCE award. Photos supplied.
However, it wasn’t all about speeches. This was an evening filled with genuine Greek hospitality, warmth and the embrace from the Dodecanese was truly felt.
As a surprise for their members, the DFA had contacted all 12 islands and well wishes poured in from seven which surprised all 130 guests. Applause and laughter could be heard as Mayors and Deputy Mayors sent their love and heartfelt blessings from Chalki, Karpathos, Nisyros, Kos, Leros, Castellorizo and Rhodes. At a time where travelling back to their roots is impossible, the DFA made an amazing effort to bridge the distance, even if it was for only a few minutes.
The Consul General’s children were warmly welcomed on the night. Photo supplied.
It was a night for the children as well, as the Consul General’s children were warmly welcomed by two of Dodecanese’s own from Kos and Rhodes, and presented with welcome packages filled with school supplies, the customary fluffy koala, boomerang and of course, Teddy Bear biscuits and Tim Tams. The children were thrilled. The annual VCE award was also presented to Christos Attipa by Father Emmanuel from St. Dimitrios in Moonee Ponds.
The Pegasus Dancing Academy performed, ‘O Mihanikos’ from Kalymnos and ‘H Roditiki Sousta’ from Rhodes, in traditional costumes and as the evening continued, dancing took centre stage and overall the vibe was extremely festive.
This was a fantastic evening enjoyed by all. It seemed that the DFA set out to commemorate two historically important events in history with style and grace – indeed, they succeeded.
The Greek School “Presentation of Our Lord” in Coburg held a school assembly on Monday, March 15 to celebrate the 200 years of Greece’s independence.
Over 60 students, ranging from our Prep class through to the High Schoolers, did activities to celebrate the day.
There were over 60 students in attendance. Photos supplied.
This included the making of flags and national costumes, through to poems and a small sketch by the older students. All activities highlighted the importance of Greece’s independence and recognised the “heroes” that provided us the freedom we have now.
Students recited poems during the school assembly. Photos supplied.
The students were well supported by their teachers and with their parents present, it was a great way to celebrate Greece’s Independence.
The Assembly was hosted by the Parish Priest at the Church, Father Leonidas, and the teachers from the school.
Kosmas Politis was one of the most popular Greek authors of the 1930’s, with a number of well-known novels including Eroica (1938) and Stou Hadjifrangos (1962). Politis was also an important translator as he contributed to the Greek works of William Shakespeare, Henry Miller, Edgar Allan Poe and James Joyce, among others.
The Greek Herald looks back at some of his incredible life achievements.
Early and Personal Life:
Kosmas Politis (literary pseudonym of Paraskeva), son of the merchant Leonidas Taveloudi from Lesvos and Kalliopi Hatzimarkou from Ayvalik, was born in Athens in March 1888.
In 1890, at the age of just two, he moved with his family to Smyrna.
A descendant of a middle-class family, Kosmas attended the famous Evangelical School and the American College of Smyrna, without ever getting a diploma. He left his studies and started working at the Bank of the East and later, at the “Wiener Bank.”
Kosmas Politis as a young man.
In 1918, he fell in love and married Clara Crespi, a noblewoman of Austro-Hungarian descent. A year later they had a daughter, Phoebe.
After the Asia Minor Catastrophe, Kosmas left Smyrna and settled in Paris (1922 – 1923), then in London, where he worked in the Ionian Bank branch, and finally in 1924 in Athens, where he became deputy director of the Bank, a year later.
Literary Work:
Kosmas’ first appearance in the field of literature was marked with the publication of “Lemon Forest” in 1930.
In 1934, he moved to Patras, where he wrote the novel Eroica, which was honored with the State Prize for Prose in 1939 and was transferred to the cinema by Michalis Kakogiannis in 1960.
Kosmas was honored with the First State Prize for Short Story in 1960 for his work I koromilia, as well as the First State Prize for Fiction in 1964 for his work Stou Hadjifrangos.
Kosmas Politis was one of the most popular Greek authors of the 1930’s.
His prose works, permeated by the experiences of his childhood, are distinguished primarily for their anxious search for the absolute ideal, their expressive subtlety and their lyrical outbursts.
His latest completely surviving work, the novel Stou Hadjifrangos, has as its occasion the author’s childhood in Smyrna and somehow summarises the whole of his creation.
Death and Legacy:
In 1967, on the day of the coup in Greece, Kosmas’ wife died and he was arrested and interrogated as a leftist. He was finally released after the intervention of Tatiana Gritsi-Miliex.
The shock from his wife’s death was great, but it did not stop him from writing a new work Terma, which was not completed in writing but was published after his death.
In 1973, Kosmas was admitted to Evangelismos Hospital with respiratory and heart failure, and then transferred to a nursing home. In 1974, he was hospitalised again in Evangelismos, where he died on February 23.
Archbishop Elpidophoros of America expressed on Monday confidence that the exterior of the National Shrine at the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church will be completed before September 11 this year.
“The Saint Nicholas Shrine takes on a role of cenotaph for those who perished on 9/11, much as the Woman in the Hymn of Kassiani took on the role of a myrrh-bearer,” Elpidophoros said in a letter informing on developments with the construction of the new church.
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine still under construction as part of the World Trade Center redevelopment. Photo: Stefan Jeremiah/The New York Post.
“It is an awesome responsibility and privilege to the Greek Orthodox Community, that our National Shrine would serve as a cenotaph for those who would engage it as such,” he added.
In a separate letter, Chairman Dennis Mehiel and Vice-Chairman Michael Psaros said that, despite the challenges of COVID-19, the rebuilding of the Church has continued unabated since the restart on site in August 2020, noting that the Shrine’s exterior will be finished in time.
“The complexity of this building cannot be overstated. The combination of light, stone (Pentelic Marble), and glass will result in an extraordinary glow on the exterior at night, and an ethereal translucence on the interior during the day,” they said.
“Combined with a full scale program of traditional Byzantine Iconography executed by one of the masters of Mount Athos, the Saint Nicholas Shrine will be a national and indeed, international, focal point for our Orthodox Christian Faith.”
Turkey has formally protested against a new deal which plans to build a 2,000-megawatt undersea electricity cable connecting Cyprus, Greece and Israel.
Turkey formally protested against the agreement, arguing that the route of the planned cable, expected to be funded by the EU, transgressed Turkish territorial waters, the state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.
In diplomatic protest notes presented to Greek, Israeli and EU diplomats in Ankara, Turkish officials also stated that the three countries needed to seek Turkey’s approval before conducting feasibility studies.
Cypriot President, Nicos Anastasiades, Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, attend the signing of a deal by their respective Energy Ministers to build the EastMed subsea pipeline. January 2, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Alkis Konstantinidis.
The three countries reached an agreement last week to expedite permits and approvals to conduct feasibility studies for the undersea cable and to coordinate with their respective national electricity regulators on how best to proceed.
Previously, the three countries had teamed up for a planned $6 billion undersea pipeline to carry gas from new offshore deposits in the southeastern Mediterranean to continental Europe, by bypassing Turkey.
Israel, Greece and Cyprus have also conducted a joint naval exercise last week in the latest example of increased cooperation between the three, which increasingly view Turkey as a rival in the Mediterranean Sea.
Greece and Cyprus are embroiled in a dispute with Turkey, which has sent gas prospecting vessels into waters claimed by Greece and drilling ships into an area where Cyprus claims exclusive rights. The tension brought NATO allies Greece and Turkey close to open conflict last year, but tensions have eased since then.
Israel and Turkey were once close allies but had a major falling-out in 2010, when 10 Turkish citizens were killed by Israeli forces as a Turkish-led flotilla tried to break Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Colorful kites danced in the skies above the hilltops and seafront promenades of Athens on Clean Monday, as Greeks turned out to celebrate the Eastern Christian holiday in their traditional fashion after being hit hard by the pandemic during the winter.
The country is still in lockdown, with most retail businesses shut and people allowed out of their homes only for essential purposes and generally within walking distance. But over the weekend, street vendors pulled out colorful displays of kites and on Monday, many families came out to fly them while wearing masks and minding social distancing guidelines.
A street vendor sells balloons at Filopapous hill Athens, on Clean Monday, March 15, 2021. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
“I’ve been flying kites for the last 40 years,” said Panagiotis Velopoulos, 65, who unfurled an octagonal kite on a hill across from the Acropolis and launched it on his first try into the sunny spring air. “There are not as many people as in previous years, but I feel very good today.”
Clean Monday marks the transition from Carnival to the beginning of Lent, a period of spiritual purification in preparation for the solemnity of Orthodox Easter, and kites have been an essential part of celebrations for more than a century in Greece.
A man flies a kite as in the background stands the ancient Parthenon temple in Athens, on Clean Monday, March 15, 2021. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
Scholars have found evidence of Easter-season kite-flying in Europe as far back as the 17th century, likely symbolising raising one’s soul to God or Jesus’ resurrection. For many religious Greeks, it also signifies a desire to reach for the divine.
“I wake up every day and… cross myself and thank God for what we have, because unfortunately there are many fellow human beings who have nothing,” said Eleftheria Zissi, who was also flying a kite on the hill. “For everyone enduring the pandemic, this is making us all think about all the positive things in our lives.”
People fly kites in Filopapou hill of Athens, on Clean Monday, March 15, 2021. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
Many immigrants from countries with their own deeply rooted kite-flying traditions, such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, have enthusiastically joined locals in the Clean Monday custom.
For the families celebrating on Monday, it was also a moment of hopefulness after many public religious rituals were canceled or curtailed by the pandemic, which has killed more than 7,000 people in the country of about 11 million.
“After all that has happened, we have fresh air and joy around,” Zissi said. “It’s an optimistic message for the future.”
