The military parade marking the anniversary of March 25, the Greek Independence Day, has concluded in downtown Athens.

Festivities are currently underway with traditional dances, music and high spirits, despite the rainy weather.

President of Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos attended the parade along with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Parliament Speaker Zoi Konstantopoulou and ND leader Antonis Samaras.

This year’s March 25 festivities marking Greek Independence Day and the Feast of the Annunciation are different to what Greeks are used to. The ‘alternative’ festivities resemble a Balkan feast with a number of parallel events that include Greek traditional songs and dances in downtown Syntagma.

Police has cordoned off traffic from boulevards leading to central Syntagma square.

Roads closed off are:

From 06.00 until the end of the doxology at the Church of St. Dionysios

– Skoufa Avenue, between Sina Street and the Church

– Likavitou Avenue, all of it

– Dimokritou Avenue, between Skoufa and Solonos Streets

– Omirou Avenue, between Skoufa and Akadimias Streets
From 06.30 until the end of the parade:

– Amalia Avenue, both lanes.

– Vas. Sofias Avenue

– Vas. Georgiou A, all of it.

– Vas. Georgiou B, all of it.

– Eleftheriou Venizelou (Panepistimiou St.), all of it.

– Stadiou Street, between Aiolou Street and Syntagma Square.

– Vas. Olga St., all of it both lanes of traffic.

– Syngrou Avenue, between Amb. Frantzi and Dionyssiou Areopagitou Streets.

– Panepistimiou Avenue, all of it

– Irodou Atikou Street

– Pireos, between Omonia square and Iera Odos

– Athinas, all of it

Public transport has been affected by the parade with changes to the network.

Greek Independence Day

Greek Independence Day is a national holiday celebrated annually in Greece on March 25 which commemorates the start of the War of Greek Independence in 1821.

This important day coincides with the Greek Orthodox Church’s celebration of the Annunciation to the Theotokos, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would bear the son of God.

Greece had been part of the Ottoman Empire since 1453. The Greek revolt begun on March 25, 1821, when Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the flag of revolution over the Monastery of Agia Lavra in the Peloponnese.

In celebration of Greek Independence Day, towns and villages throughout Greece hold school parades. There is also an armed forces parade in Athens.