Bergen County is celebrating Greek Independence Day with a flag raising and celebration on Thursday, March 23 at 12:30 p.m.
The annual event is held by Bergen County Executive James Tedesco and the Board of Chosen Freeholders in partnership with Ahepa Ramapo Chapter 453, Ahepa Bergen Knights Chapter 285, and Ahepa Alexander Hamilton Chapter 54.
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Greek Independence Day is on March 25 and has been celebrated every year since the Greek Revolution ended in 1821. It marks the country’s fight for freedom after being occupied by the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years and is also when the religious Feast of the Annunciation is commemorated.
Greece came under Ottoman rule in the 15th century, in the decades before and after the fall of Constantinople. Greece was recognized as an independent state after nine years of war, under the London Protocol of February 1830. Prince Otto of Bavaria became the first king of Greece in 1832.
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The annual Greek Independence Day Parade in New York City is on April 30 at 1:30 p.m. on Fifth Avenue between 64th and 79th streets. The parade is organized by the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York. The parade has been held in the city since 1938 and along Fifth Avenue since 1951.