MARCH 25, 2017 Celebrating Greek Independence Honoring the Hellenic Triumph of Liberty THODOROS VRYZAKIS, GRATEFUL HELLAS (1858), GREECE PERSONIFIED AS A WOMAN, WITH REVOLUTIONARIES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE GREEK WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, NATIONAL HISTORICAL MUSEUM, ATHENS The National Herald T H D E L N A AT ER IONAL H www.thenationalherald.com This insert was sponsored in part by Dr. Spiro & Amalia Spireas, Sigmapharm Laboratories 2 Greek Independence Day THE NATIONAL HERALD, MARCH 25, 2017 The National Herald Georgios Karaiskakis: A weekly publication of the NATIONAL HERALD, INC. Hero of the Greek War of Independence (ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΗΡΥΞ), reporting the news and addressing the issues of paramount interest to the Greek American community of the TNH Staff matolos of the Valtos district, Demetris nese), where he was drawn into the in - armatoloi, he attempted to relieve the sec - United States of America. Iskos or Karaiskos. His mother, Zoe trigues which divided the Greek leadership. ond siege, but he got sick, and his illness eorgios Karaiskakis (January 23, Dimiski, was a local nun and cousin of Go - He nonetheless recognized the necessity and the lack of discipline among the ar - Publisher-Editor 1780 - April 23, 1827) was a fa - gos Bakolas, captain of the armatoloi in of providing Greece with a stable govern - matoloi prevented him from providing ef - Antonis H. Diamataris mous Greek klepht, armatolos, Radovitsi. ment, and was a supporter of John fective support in the attempt to break Gmilitary commander, and a hero Known as The Nun’s Son and Gypsy Capodistrias, who would later be - through Turkish lines. Few of Mes - Assistant to Publisher, Advertising of the Greek War of Independence. (because of his dark complexion), he be - come Modern Greece’s first solonghi’s defenders survived. Veta H. Diamataris Klephts were bandits, warlike mountain came a klepht at a very early age in the head of state. That same year, how - Papadopoulos folk who lived in the Greek countryside service of Katsantonis, a famous local brig - Karaiskakis’ reputa - ever, Karaiskakis was Special Section Editor when Greece was still part of the Ottoman and. Karaiskakis excelled as a klepht. Agile, tion grew during the appointed comman - Eleni Sakellis Empire. Armatoloi were irregular Greek cunning, brave and reckless, he rose middle and latter der in-chief of the Production Manager Christian militia, brigands who were some - quickly through the ranks, eventually be - stages of the war. Greek patriotic Chrysoula Karametros times commissioned by the Ottomans to coming a protopalikaro, or lieutenant. He helped to forces in enforce the Sultan’s authority in regions He was captured by Ali Pasha’s troops lift the first Rumeli, 37-10 30th Street which were difficult for Ottoman authori - at 15 years of age and imprisoned at Ioan - siege of Mes - achieving LIC, NY 11101-2614 ties to govern due to inaccessible terrain. nina. Impressed by Karaiskakis’ courage solonghi in mixed re - Tel: (718) 784-5255 Both groups switched allegiances ac - and intelligence and fighting spirit, Ali 1823. sults: While Fax: (718) 472-0510 cording to circumstantial demands. Some Pasha released Karaiskakis from prison and Messo - failing to e-mail: were traitors. Many were heroes who made him one of his personal bodyguards. longhi first cooperate [email protected] helped liberate Greece from more than 400 Karaiskakis served as a bodyguard to revolted effectively years of Turkish oppression. Ali Pasha for 12 years (1808-20), before against with Democritou 1 and Academias Sts, Karaiskakis was one such hero. He was losing favor with the Ottoman warlord and the Turks other Athens, 10671, Greece born in a monastery near the village of fleeing back to the mountains to continue on May leaders of Tel: 011.30.210.3614.598 Mavrommati in the Agrafa mountains, lo - his life as a klepht. 20, 1821, the inde - Fax: 011.30.210.3643.776 cated near the town of Karditsa in the Pre - During the early stages of the war, and was a pendence e-mail: [email protected] fecture of Thessaly. His father was the ar - Karaiskakis fought in the Morea (Pelopon - major move - strong - ment or hold of the with for - Greek eign sym - rebels dur - pathizers The True Meaning of Greek Independence Day ing the Rev - fighting olution. Its in - alongside the habitants Greeks, he By Eleni Sakellis into English, The fish cannot live on the land/ Nor the flower successfully re - gained military on the sand/ And the women of Souli/ Cannot live without sisted a siege by successes against For many Greeks living outside of Greece, Greek Inde - freedom. Ottoman forces in the Ottomans. pendence Day takes on a special meaning. It is a celebration For many Greeks, the struggle for freedom that began in 1822. The second He also partici - commemorating the start of the Greek War of Independence 1821 lasted much longer. The territory of the Greek nation siege began on April 15, pated in the failed at - and reminds us of what our ancestors fought and died for. after the War of Independence included only part of what 1825 by an army of 30,000 tempt to raise the siege of On March 25, 1821, Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the we call Greece today. The borders expanded and contracted men, and was later reinforced Athens in 1827, and attempted flag of revolution over the Monastery of Agia Lavra in the and expanded again, forged by war and the people’s deter - by another 10,000 men led by Ibrahim to prevent the massacre of the Turkish Peloponnese. The cry “Freedom or death” became the motto mination to uphold the ideals of Hellenism. The islands of Pasha, son of Muhammad Ali Pasha of garrison stationed in the fort of Saint Spyri - of the revolution. The date of March 25 is also a religious the Dodecanese after millennia of upholding the Greek lan - Egypt. don. holiday, the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary when the guage, traditions, and faith, only became part of the Modern After a year of relentless enemy attacks Karaiskakis was a brave warrior and Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and told her Greek nation in 1947. The emotion inspired by the unification and facing starvation, the people of Mes - one of the few Greek commanders the she would be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. The is still powerful and within recent memory for those who solonghi decided to leave the beleaguered Turks actually feared. Pardoned by the double celebration honors the Mother of God, the Theotokos, lived through the years of the Italian occupation and then city in the Exodus of the Guards, a sortie Greek central government at Nafplion, he and the faith that sustained the Greek people through the the German occupation in World War II. On March 1, the on the night of April 10, 1826. At the time, put down a regional revolt in the Pelopon - hard years of Ottoman oppression and then through the bru - Greek Parliament held a special live celebratory session for there were 10,500 people in Messolonghi, nese in the autumn of 1824. tal years of war in the fight for freedom. Very few holidays the 70th anniversary of the incorporation of the Dodecanese 3,500 of who were armed. Very few people His most famous victory was at Ara - have such powerful connections in the minds and hearts of into the Greek state and voted to designate 2017 as the year survived the ensuing Ottoman pincer move chova, where his army crushed a force of the people through faith and history. of the Dodecanese. after their plan was betrayed. Turkish and Albanian troops under Mustafa Though many of us live far away, our love for our Greek It is especially vital today that we look back and remember Due to the heroic stance of the popula - Bey and Kehagia Bey in November 1826. heritage, language, and homeland remain steadfast. The the historic struggle for freedom and the tremendous re - tion and the subsequent massacre of its in - Victories such as the one in Arachova were most famous heroes of the Greek War of Independence, sponsibility to maintain that freedom in the face of all threats habitants by the Turkish and Egyptian especially welcome amid the losses and Theodoros Kolokotronis, Georgios Karaiskakis, Yannis whether internal or external. At a recent event, Consul Gen - forces, the town of Messolonghi received disasters occurring elsewhere. Makriyannis, Athanasios Diakos, Rigas Feraios, Papaflessas, eral of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras quoted the honorary title of Hiera Polis (Sacred Karaiskakis was killed in action on his Constantine Kanaris, Manto Mavrogenous, Andreas Miaoulis, Thomas Jefferson, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” City), unique among other Greek cities. nameday, April 23, 1827, after being fatally Odysseas Androutsos, and Laskarina Bouboulina, still inspire which applies to every nation in the free world and now The famous British poet and Philhellene wounded by a rifle shell during the siege us today with their remarkable stories. We should also re - more than ever as we see how interconnected we are globally. George Gordon (Lord Byron), who sup - of the Acropolis. Karaiskaki Stadium in member the countless, unnamed heroes who made the ulti - As we march in the various parades to show our Hellenic ported the Greek struggle for indepen - Neo Faliro, Piraeus is named after him, as mate sacrifice in the struggle to breathe free, like the women pride, it is important to remember the stories and struggles dence, died there in 1824. Byron is com - he was mortally wounded in the area. He and children of Souli, immortalized in the Dance of Zalongo of the past and how the Greek nation and people still endure memorated by a cenotaph containing his was buried on the island of Salamis after and the famous song lyrics including the poignant stanza, despite the hardships and the crises.