Independence Day

Greek Independence day on 25th March was a startlingly clear and sunny day, with bright blue skies and surprisingly hot, early-summer temperatures. In Koroni, the programme started after church, around 10am, with speaches and recitals and the laying of wreathes.

Then the children lined up to parade along the sea-front –  many were in national and regional costume. This year there was a marked improvement in the standard of  ‘marching’, and the overall organisation of the parade – obviously a lot of work had gone into rehearsals and costumes.

The dancing, which took place at the far end of the sea-front, was a joy to watch, with the different costumes and age groups, and the children performing increasingly more intricate footwork and gaining in confidence as they went on.

There were many proud parents in the audience and it seemed the whole town had turned out to hang out afterwards by the harbour, drinking coffee or celebrating with an ouzo-meze and wishing each other “Chronia Polla”.