By SUZANNE MARINO
Staff Writer

ATLANTIC CITY—Atlantic County has a strong Greek community and March 25 they celebrated their version of Fourth of July, Hellenic style. Mayor Scott Evans raised the blue and white Greek flag over city hall in Atlantic City and read a proclamation making March 25 Greek Independence Day in Atlantic City.

Greek churches help to keep the culture thriving. St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Atlantic City had traditional Greek dancers at city hall and children read poems as part of the celebration, according to Stavroula Koutsfetsoulis, a member of the church. “This is more of a pomp and circumstance kind of day. The girls dress in their “amalia” or traditional Greek dress and the boys in their “evanas” which is modeled after the Greek guards and they will dance two traditional dances,” said Koutsfetsoulis.

She explained that many Greeks living in the region have been born and raised here but are only first generation in this country. “Many Greeks emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s and it is an important to remember our heritage,” added Koutsfetsoulis.  “Everyone will sing the Greek National Anthem “Se gnoriso apo tin kopsi.”

The Greek War of Independence began in 1821 rising up against 400 years of occupation and oppression by the Ottoman Turks. The origin of the Turkish occupancy began in 1453 with the fall of Constantinople (now Istanbul).

Greeks living in their occupied homeland reacted to the Turkish oppression and resisted the attempts to deprive the Greeks of their heritage, freedom and their religion. During the Ottoman occupation, thousands were killed and tortured for attending church or teaching their children culture, history and language. It was the Greek Orthodox Church that helped to retain their very identity by the institution of Crypha Scholia (Hidden Schools).

For eight years the fighting ensued, until 1829, when the Sultan Mahmud II, facing Soviet troops at the gates of Constantinople, accepted Greek independence with the Treaty of Andrianople, according to www.helleniccomserve.com/greekindependence.html.

This is not a day of cookouts and family get-togethers like we might have here because it is still lent on the Greek calendar. “Greek Easter is not until April 27 so we do not have big celebrations,” said Koutsfetsoulis. “It has to follow Passover on our calendar.”

On Sunday, March 30 there will be a Greek Independence Day parade and several busses from St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church with the Greek Orthodox Youth Association  marching in the parade.

The Greeks also remember March 25 as a very somber day when the Nazis used this day to round up the Jews living in Volos and Ioannina and deport them to Auschwitz.