Holidays!

Hello there! I thought that I would tell you guys about Greek holidays.

On January 1st, we Greeks celebrate the Feast of St. Basil. We make a basil cake and you slice the cake and it is said to make you have a good year. You are blessed with good luck for the year. In late mid February Greece's Carnival season starts, this is called Apokrias. All of this celebration is very similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and these carnivals are enjoyed in many Greek cities. On March 25th we celebrate Independence Day. It is a major religious holiday here, and they hold military parades in the larger towns and cities. It celebrates Greece's independence from the Turks who had occupied Greece for over 400 years. March 25th for the Greeks is like the 4th of July to Americans. Easter Sunday is the biggest religious holiday in Greece. Almost everyone's country lambs are roasted and there is a lot of wine. This is my favorite time of year in Greece. On August 15th it is the Day of the Panagia which means the Day of the Virgin Mary. It is the second biggest religious holiday in Greece after Easter. Thousands of people come to Tinos to go into the church that holds the holy Icon. But these days it is celebrated in almost every town and village in Greece. On November 17th it is the anniversary of the student uprising at the Polytechnic University in Athens in 1973. The demonstrations against the military dictatorship gained momentum and was crushed when tanks crashed the gates of the university killing many students. The holiday is celebrated with the annual march and stoning of the American Embassy.