Post by janiemou on Oct 29, 2015 0:07:21 GMT 2
Today was OXI day (pronounced ochi) when Greece celebrates Ioannis Metaxas giving the proverbial finger to the Italians and saying 'no way José' to their ultimatum during the second world war. It is the Greek equivalent of the Armistice Day in the UK.
The sun shone (mostly), the band played (mostly harmoniously), the dignitaries were dignified (mostly) and the crowd turned out and enjoyed a lovely day. I was joking about the band , they played very well, and the priests and dignitaries were suitably dignified. The school children paraded in their classes accompanied by the most glamorous / handsome teachers I have ever seen. How one of the female teachers managed to march in 6" heels I will never know. The faces of the children who marched in their national or local dress shone with pride. However modernity has crept in with one young man's jacket being emblazoned with sequins! No police were required, no barriers needed, no crowd control measures were in place, because everyone knew how to behave. I am certain that back in the UK the police presence would have been noticeable! As Alex (from Alexandros on the Beach) proudly said as the parade marched passed ' they are our future'. Children here are brought up to be aware of and take pride in their history, something we seem to have lost in the UK. There was a lot of Greek pride on show with children waving and parading the Greek flag and several buildings also suitably decorated. We met many friends from Roda and enjoyed their day with them.
The sun shone (mostly), the band played (mostly harmoniously), the dignitaries were dignified (mostly) and the crowd turned out and enjoyed a lovely day. I was joking about the band , they played very well, and the priests and dignitaries were suitably dignified. The school children paraded in their classes accompanied by the most glamorous / handsome teachers I have ever seen. How one of the female teachers managed to march in 6" heels I will never know. The faces of the children who marched in their national or local dress shone with pride. However modernity has crept in with one young man's jacket being emblazoned with sequins! No police were required, no barriers needed, no crowd control measures were in place, because everyone knew how to behave. I am certain that back in the UK the police presence would have been noticeable! As Alex (from Alexandros on the Beach) proudly said as the parade marched passed ' they are our future'. Children here are brought up to be aware of and take pride in their history, something we seem to have lost in the UK. There was a lot of Greek pride on show with children waving and parading the Greek flag and several buildings also suitably decorated. We met many friends from Roda and enjoyed their day with them.