Greece’s Independence Day, commemorating the start of the 1821 revolution, is 25 March.
Greek Independence Day marks the beginning of the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. The revolution began in 1821, and Greece eventually achieved internationally recognized independence through military struggle and diplomatic intervention. The date also coincides with the Feast of the Annunciation in the Greek Orthodox Church, giving the national holiday a religious dimension.
Celebrations include school parades, military processions, church services and public ceremonies. Athens hosts a major military parade, while schools and communities hold their own events across Greece. The blue-and-white Greek flag is especially prominent during the holiday.
A common mix-up is 28 October, Greece’s “No” Day. That holiday commemorates Greece’s rejection of an Italian ultimatum in 1940 and its entry into the Second World War, not the 1821 independence revolution.