BALTIMORE, MD —
On Sunday, March 30, with the blessings and participation of His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey, the Annual Maryland Greek Independence Day Parade took place in Baltimore, MD.
Ethnic pride of both young and older Greek Americans dressed in colorful traditional costumes filled the streets of Baltimore’s historic Greektown on Sunday, March 30, as the city was commemorating the 204th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821 with the annual Greek parade that brought together the Hellenes of Maryland, and Washington, DC
A Doxology was held at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey.
Later on, His Eminence together with the Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of Greece, Nikolaos Sapountzis, the Consul of Cyprus, Constantinos Constantinou, the area clergy, the Grand Marshal, Nicholas Prevas, and other dignitaries, marched on down the streets of Baltimore’s historic Greektown to the grandstand located in front of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.
There, the celebration continued with the National Anthems of Greece and the United States, the chanting of the beloved hymn to the Theotokos ‘Ti Ypermaho’, and an opening prayer offered by His Eminence.
The parade then continued as the blessed and dedicated parade participants from the Greek Orthodox parishes located in Maryland and Washington, DC, together with the members of the various Hellenic organizations and societies, marched along the parade route in a spirit of true joy and love of their rich Hellenic heritage and culture, while giving thanks to God for blessing the motherland with Independence.
In his Archpastoral address to the thousands of Hellenes and Philhellenes gathered for the Parade, His Eminence expressed his pride and true appreciation to all the of the Parade Organizers and participating for continuing this wonderful tradition of commemorating and celebrating the Independence of the Hellenic Nation. “We must always be proud of our Language, our Culture, and our Faith, and must continue to teach our children so that the future generations will never forget the struggle of our ancestors, who bravely fought for our freedom and Independence from the Ottoman yoke,” he said.
The last group marching in the parade was the Baltimore Evzones, a local group who proudly marched and assembled before a reproduction of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens, where His Eminence, along with other officials were invited to place a wreath in remembrance and honor of our brave ancestors who gave their lives for the Independence of Greece.
The Baltimore Evzones established in 1997 are now led and trained by Stavros Katsas, a former sergeant of the Greek Presidential Guard.
