A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 7 Number 13 - Tuesday, March 29th, 2005 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian Laity
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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"As Sultan Mehmed II launched his Ottoman forces in a final attack on Byzantium's capital, Constantinople in the early hours of Tuesday, 29 May 1453, it was the churches whose bells rang the alarm throughout the city Constantinople fell that day " (from the book, The Greek War of Independence, by David Brewer). For more than 400 years, Greece had ceased to exist. It became an insignificant part of the Ottoman Empire, one of the many ethnic groups the Turks had conquered and subjugated. They left the Ecumenical Patriarch in charge and responsible for the Greek Orthodox flock. All the Turks wanted from their subjects was no problems, and to pay their taxes. And then, somehow, after several centuries, these humble peasants and seamen influenced by the Greeks living abroad, the likes of Adamantios Korais and Rigas Phereos - who, in turn, were influenced by American and French ideals on the rule of law, equality and liberty - decided they had enough of the Turkish yoke and took up arms to liberate their country: What a mad undertaking, most people thought. How can a small band of kleftes ever have a chance against the mighty Ottoman Empire which, in its heyday, was one of the greatest empires the world has ever known? As Nicos Kazantzakis would say, " it takes some kouzouli-crazy people to change the world. Respected, well-established people will not." And so these crazy Greeks took to singing: "Shall we live in the
mountain passes, like warriors of old? The revolution had begun. The idea that the Greeks would rise again to become a free people captivated the world. In America, Grecian fever swept the land. It was touch and go for a few years. And then, with the help of the great powers of the day, the Greeks prevailed and established the first modern Greek state in 1828. And so we celebrate, in cities both large and small across America, the liberation of Greece. But in effect, we are celebrating our heritage, our roots. Each year, during New York's annual Greek Independence Day Parade, we truly become Greeks again; it is a day we reminisce about when our parents and grandparents would take us to Greek parades, seeing thousands upon thousands of Greeks participate; a day to be proud of where we come from, and proud of what we have managed to achieve in this great country. And it is very encouraging to see so many young Greek Americans participate in the Parade and line up along the sidewalks of Manhattan's famed Fifth Avenue for the event; more proof that there are still enough "crazy" Greeks in America to keep the flame of the Hellenic torch well lit.
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