The annual Greek Independence Day Parade took place on Sunday along the Fifth Avenue, in New York, despite heavy rain. Members of the Greek and Cypriot diaspora had the chance to see the Evzones, members of the elite regiment of the Greek army that stand guard in front of the Hellenic parliament and the Presidential Mansion, parading in the street. Greek and Cypriot organizations, associations, students and teachers of Greek schools also marched on Fifth Avenue. On Friday, a smaller parade was held by the Presidential Guard through the streets of southern Manhattan, from St. Nicholas Church at Ground Zero to Bowling Green Park for a ceremony to raise the Greek flag. Present at the event were, among others, the Consul General of Greece, Dinos Konstantinou, the Permanent Representatives of Greece and Cyprus to the UN, Ambassadors Evangelos Sekeris and Andreas Hadjichrysanthou, respectively, and the Ambassador of Greece to the US Alexandra Papadopoulou. The Archbishop Elpidophoros of America said, among others, that “by raising the blue and white flag of Greece and that of Cyprus we remind all of us that the fight to defend freedom never ends. We raise it with pride and joy, because we know that it represents the blood and toil of our ancestors,” he said.
Source: Cyprus News Agency