The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall confirmed on Friday that they will visit Athens on March 24-25 to participate in the events marking the bicentenary of the Greek War of Independence.

The visit comes at the request of the British Government and follows an invitation from Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Clarence House said in a press release.

The bicentenary event’s Independence Day celebrations will take place from the evening of March 24 and will conclude on March 25. 

Prince Charles will be awarded a 'Gold City Value Medal' in a special ceremony that will take place at the City Hall and will be awarded by the Mayor of Athens Costas Bakoyannis.

The award is in recognition of the contribution of the people of the United Kingdom to the liberation of Greece, but also to the devotion and contribution of the Prince of Wales to the protection of the environment, the protection of cultural heritage and the promotion of letters and fine arts.

The two royals will also attend a reception at the newly re-opened National Gallery of Greece on the evening of March 24 hosted by President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square and a traditional military parade on March 25. 

This article was originally posted on ekathimerini.com
Photo credit: Samir Hussein

On Thursday March 25, 2021, many important landmarks around the world will mark Greece’s bicentennial, commemorating 200 years since the declaration of its independence. 

In every corner of the globe where members of the Greek diaspora are present, the anniversary will be marked. Iconic landmarks in many countries will be illuminated in blue and white in honor of the Greek people and their struggle for freedom 200 years ago.

Greece Bicentennial in the United States

Lighting up their most iconic landmark buildings and bridges in the blue of the Greek flag for one night, American cities from East to West will honor the nation of Greece as well as the many millions of Greek-Americans who are part of the fabric of the country.

San Francisco City Hall will be illuminated with the colors of the Greek flag on March 25.

The initiative belongs to the United Hellenic American Societies (UHAS) representing Greek Americans in California and the efforts of Taso Zografos, President of the United Hellenic American Societies of Northern California (UHAS).



The City of Los Angeles will mark the celebration of the Greek bicentennial of its War of Independence on March 25 by illuminating the iconic pylons outside its international airport, LAX.

The New South Wales government agreed that the iconic Sydney Opera House will be bedecked in the Greek flag for March 25, the Bicentennial of the War of Independence.

In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) is presenting a series of events, titled Faces of the Hero, which was created and is implemented through an exclusive grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

The heroic example set by the fighters of the Greek Revolution provides the impetus for an examination of the concepts of “hero” and “heroism” throughout time, through the prism of the performing and visual arts, dance, readings, lectures, exhibitions, and educational programs for adults and children. The connecting link permeating all the programs is the question, “How has the heroic ideal been reflected through art?”

The selection of the multifaceted thematic programming is a reflection of the mission that drives the SNFCC overall: to be an open public space that offers cultural experiences, entertainment, and education for all. The anniversary programming is centered around activating the SNFCC’s premises and developing synergies with its affiliate organizations, the National Library of Greece (NLG) and the Greek National Opera (GNO), while also focusing on investing in the organization’s artistic outreach.

In Ancient Greece, public life was at its most vibrant in the agorá! It was a public space that played a significant role in every aspect of social life - it also served as a marketplace where merchants kept stalls or shops to sell their products. It is this idea that inspired us to create our own Agorá in the form of an open digital space on our trusted platform where the international community can gather, navigate, and discover local products by local Greek businesses, designers, food producers, artists, authors, and independent creators.

 

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Although this new section of our website comes to life during a vital time to support local business and local economy, for us at XpatAthens AMKE, our Agorá is an added piece of our whole platform that further empowers our mission of contributing to the local community while living global experiences. Learn more about our Agorá below.

Our Agorá was created with the intention of connecting the international community with local Greek products. Always in alignment with our mission and nonprofit causes, we strive to bridge our readers with the local community in order to enhance their experience of living in Greece, while simultaneously supporting local businesses.

Just like it was in Ancient Greece, our Agorá is a marketplace where our community of global citizens can gather and explore local Greek products of quality, value and authenticity. 

Everyone. Our Agorá is a space dedicated to supporting local businesses and local producers by sharing their products and telling their stories; while giving Greece’s international community the chance to discover local products and support local businesses. In other words, this unique space on XpatAthens benefits both our readers and local Greek businesses. 

Listing your products in our digital marketplace means that you’ll be seen by our unique community of readers who follow us both locally and internationally. Our Agorá is about connecting people with local Greek products and we do this with the intention of sharing and connecting our readers with local businesses.

Note, products are never purchased directly from XpatAthens, they are simply showcased (shared) in our Agorá. Those interested in making a purchase are directed via a hyperlink to the producers website directly. Additionally, XpatAthens does not receive commissions or donations for products discovered on our platform.

In alignment with the rest of our uploading fees, the charge for uploading products to our platform is as follows:

 

1 Product Post: €10 +vat (€12,40)
1 Year of Product Posts (limited to 5 monthly): €75 +vat (€93)
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XpatAthens does not receive commissions or donations for products that are discovered in our Agorá. As outlined above, we charge a small amount for uploading products to our platform. Products are never purchased directly from XpatAthens, they are simply showcased (shared) in our Agorá. Those interested in purchasing a product are directed via a hyperlink to the producer's website directly.

 

 

Even though we, Greeks are few in numbers and it's mostly our ancient past that makes our country famous around the world, there have been many significant Greeks to leave their mark in the world since the creation of the modern Greek state.

Numerous Greeks have excelled in science and arts, won Nobel Prizes and Academy Awards, resolved problems, and saved thousands of lives with their scientific discoveries.

Here is a concise timeline of famous Greek people and events since 1811.

1811: In 1811, Pavlos Prosalentis who is considered the first professional sculptor in modern Greece, established a private art school; the first modern art school in Greece.

1823: Dionysios Solomos wirtes the Greek national anthem. Officially titled 'Ymnos is tin Eleftherian' in Greek and the 'Hymn to Liberty' in English, the Greek anthem, is a reminder not only of how far Greece has come since the defeat of the Ottoman Empire but also of the journey that led to freedom.

1832: Elizabeth Moutzan-Martinegou dies. Moutzan-Martinegou has been called the first female writer in modern Greece. She wrote poetry, more than 15 plays, and translated works of classical literature; her most famous work is her autobiography.

1863: Famous Egyptiot Greek poet Konstantinos P. Kavafis is born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1863. His most famous works are 'Waiting For the Barbarians' and 'Ithaca' and while almost all of his work was in Greek, he remained unrecognized in Greece, until after the publication of the first anthology of his work in 1935.

1887: Kallirhoe Parren launches the feminist movement in Greece with the founding of a newspaper, 'Ephemeris ton Kyrion' (Ladies' Journal), in 1887. The newspaper was run entirely by women and was an 8-page weekly publication until 1908 when it changed to a bi-monthly that ran until early 1916.

1938: After completing her secondary education, Melina Merkouri enrolled at National Theatre's Drama School. Merkouri became known to international audiences with the film 'Never on Sunday' for which, she earned the Best Actress Award at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.

1953: On January 18, 1953, Eleni Skouras is elected as the first female member of the Greek Parliament. Eleni Skouras was born in Volos but moved to Thessaloniki in 1915 where she earned a law degree in 1950.

1954: In 1954 Greek physician George Papanikolaou published the 'Atlas of Exfoliative Cytology' the foundation of modern cytopathology. Papanikolaou is famous for inventing the Pap smear or Pap test, which is used worldwide for the detection and prevention of cervical cancer.

1977: On November 8, 1977, Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos discovered a tomb at Vergina which he identified as that of Philip II of Macedon.

1979: Odysseas Elytis was a Greek poet, essayist, and translator, and a major representative of romantic modernism in Greece and the world. In 1979, Elytis was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

1988: In 1998 Theo Angelopoulos' film 'Eternity and a Day' won the Palme d'Or at the 51st Cannes Film Festival. Angelopoulos was one of the most influential and important filmmakers in the world.

2016: In 2016, Greek photojournalist Yiannis Behrakis along with his team from Thomson Reuters, won the esteemed prize in 2016 for Breaking News Photography for the coverage of the European refugee crisis.

To discover the full reel of notable people and events, please visit: greece2021.gr

An abundance of commemorating events such as museum exhibitions, theater productions, and historical re-enactments was planned in Greece to honor the bicentennial of the Greek War of Independence.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, mezzo-soprano Artemis Bogri and her fellow vocalists performed the Greek National Opera’s new production of “Despo” in a theater empty of spectators. Despo, the title character in Pavlos Carrer’s 1875 opera chooses death over captivity by detonating ammunition stored in a fortress as Ottoman forces close in.

“Artists prepare two or three months for a production and then take that work to an audience,” she said. “Now, we have to generate that energy with no one there. That’s not easy.”

The bicentennial events intended to illustrate Greece’s modern accomplishments have been postponed, scaled back, or moved online due to the pandemic and school parades were canceled on account of the surge in Covid-19 infections.

Like the National Opera, other cultural foundations have formed small work teams to salvage their celebration plans despite the acute financial pressure they are facing due to the ongoing lockdown measures in Greece.


To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini.com

“I am”. The two words that are yours and yours alone. The two words that no one else can say for you. The two words that have the power to change your life forever.

Have you ever wondered who’s taught you these words? Where have you heard them for the first time? Who was using these words? Did they have a positive or a negative connotation? Were they used in a loving and caring way or were they full of criticism, frustration and complaints? Were they words that gave you wings and the freedom to paint your own canvas or did they restrict you and immobilize you?

As you’re reading these lines you may be thinking, “I was a little girl then.” And today, as an adult, how do you use these words? Do you use them to embrace, celebrate and advance yourself or to constantly argue and face yourself as the enemy that needs to be defeated? When you look yourself in the mirror and say “I am” do you feel joy and pride or are you ashamed and look for imperfections?

And when you do say “I am” what exactly do you mean? Are you referring to the various roles you have? For example, “I am a doctor, a lawyer, a housewife, a scientist, a mom, a partner…”? Are you perhaps referring to the qualities you have as a human being? For example, “I am bold, strong, caring, smart, calm, vulnerable, grateful, beautiful, free, balanced, complete, smiling, honest, worthy, wonderful, creative…”?

Maybe as a child the words “you are” that you were told included more criticism and shame than joy and love. Maybe in your family “what you will become” when you grow up was emphasized more than “who you will become” as a personality. Maybe they urged you to become someone you did not want to be or take a role that did not suit you. Today, however, you are an adult, a woman and as such you define who you are. You alone can define your identity, can’t you?

Originally Published on: itsmylife.gr
Written by Nadia Georgiou

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The Municipality of Athens continues its dynamic presence in major European social "forums", presenting proposals that aim to ensure a sustainable future for European cities. The Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis spoke to Euronews alongside the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Turku Minna Arve, the European Commissioner, Mairead McGuinness, the Vice President of the European Investment Bank Ambroise Fayolle on the occasion of the award received by the Municipality of Athens at the CDP Europe Awards 2021 for all its actions aimed at the green recovery that set the coordinates for environmental policies of other cities.

Speaking about environmentally friendly solutions, that will free up public space and adopt a new model of sustainable mobility, Mr. Bakoyannis said: "At the end of the day we should be very clear about our strategic goals if we are to go backward or move forward ".

Talking about the day after this unprecedented health crisis, the Mayor of Athens said that history has taught that past pandemics were catalytic for the transformation of urban centers, adding that "this crisis is an opportunity to transform our cities bring them into the new century, to a different era with different challenges."

Mr. Bakoyannis then pointed out the need to find local solutions that will promote the reacquisition or releasing of quality public spaces and adopt a new model of sustainable mobility, which will not only concern cars but also accessibility, public transport, and alternative means of transportation. "We have to make sure, and this is very important for us in Europe, that we are really changing without losing our souls. "We do not want to turn our cities into theme parks, you know, we want to keep our DNA alive."

CDP is a non-profit organization that annually evaluates the actions of cities around the world and recognizes those that stand out. In 2020, for the second year in a row, Athens ranked high and was included in the A-list Cities, along with 87 cities around the world, for their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The CDP Europe Awards 2021 were attended by heads of large corporations, distinguished for their activities, such as LafargeHolcim, Lenzing, Handelsbanken Fonder, Ørsted, Eni, Norges Bank Investment Management, and others.

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XpatAthens extends a warm thank you to This Is Athens and the City Of Athens for sharing with us news and inspiring stories about how Athens is constantly becoming a cleaner, friendlier, and more welcoming city to live in.